


Closer

by darcie



Series: 1DMagic [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Magic, Vampires, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-13
Updated: 2013-02-13
Packaged: 2017-11-29 04:32:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 119,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/682803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darcie/pseuds/darcie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title: Closer<br/>Pairings: Harry/Louis, Liam/Niall, Zayn/I'll think of something<br/>Story Summary: Harry has magical powers that he can't reveal to the boys. But he's not the only one with a secret. <br/>Author's Note: Originally posted on Livejournal (darciewritestoo). I decided to post this here too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Harry's magic manifested on his thirteenth birthday, right on time, and just as expected. That was how it had been for Gemma, and how it had been for his mum before him. In fact, that was how it had been for most of the relatives on his mum's side. So Harry had known that he would wake up feeling different the day he turned thirteen. Though expecting it and experiencing it were completely different.   
  
When he woke up, his family congratulated him, and then his mum got down to business. She made him try little charms at first. Command a door to open, summon their cat from another room, predict the weather. Just little stuff like that. She had already warned him years ago that the biggest stuff would come when he turned eighteen, though his magic would develop a lot over the next five years.   
  
When his sister turned eighteen, he begged her to tell him about the coven. But she wouldn't. Growing up, he'd always learned about their magic from her, but when she turned eighteen, everything changed. She stopped telling him of her little discoveries and the magic she'd cast that day. She was especially quiet whenever she and their mum got back from their coven meetings. He was practically left on his own.   
  
What he didn't know was that casting charms would make him charming. Maybe his classmates suspected there was something different about him, but he grew to be pretty popular. It was easy to appear ordinary, flirt with everyone, and get what he wanted at the same time. To everyone, he was just a normal popular guy. It wasn't like he cast a charm to make himself popular. Still, it was easy to use it to his advantage.   
  
But he didn't use his magic to help his singing. No, that was something he did all on his own. Maybe the excitable crowds during White Eskimo gigs had something to do with his magic, but his voice did not. That came naturally, and he was pretty grateful. There was  _something_  in his life that didn't have to do with magic. Not that he didn't like magic and being able to cast charms, but it was nice to get away from it for awhile.   
  
His magic helped him break the news to White Eskimo that he wanted to go solo and try out for the X Factor. He was pretty sure that they would be annoyed with him, so he found something in his little book of charms that made them more accepting to the idea. He knew it would wear off in a few months, but by then he would have either tried out for the X Factor and made it or tried out and failed, and gone back to singing with the band anyway.   
  
He was actually surprised that his mum let him try out for the X Factor. He had been sure that she wouldn't want their family in the public eye, especially because if it all worked out he would have to join the coven in a few years and that wouldn't be easy to keep a secret. But then again, she probably didn't think he'd get very far. In fact, his whole family was pretty supportive at his audition and when he made it through to bootcamp. After warning him that he was not to use his magic to advance on the show, she sent him on his way.  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
He was put into a band. The situation was kind of hilarious and ironic, considering he'd just left a band, but as Simon Cowell told them that they had a real shot in the competition if they agreed to be a in a band, Harry thought it would be a pretty cool opportunity. Also, there was the fact that if they didn't do this, they would all have to go home and tell everyone they failed. Harry would get away with it pretty easily. He could probably find some charm to wipe the memories of the people who knew he'd tried out, but he knew the other four guys weren't so lucky.   
  
He studied them. He'd gotten closest to Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik throughout their few days at bootcamp. Louis looked downright excited about the idea of advancing in the competition, and that didn't surprise Harry at all. He smiled brightly and then gave the rest of them an expectant look. Clearly he wanted do whatever he could to go forward. Zayn looked a little more hesitant, but definitely interested. Harry then looked over at Liam and Niall. They stood in silence, though their energy was totally different. Liam was even more hesitant than Zayn, but Niall was so excited that he was ready to jump on the four of them.   
  
His mum had said that he couldn't use his magic to advance in the competition, but that didn't mean he couldn't use it to make the others see clearly about this opportunity, right? He knew he could make them see what was right. And it wasn't like he even had to say anything aloud. This charm didn't require anything special. And oddly enough, he didn't feel guilty about breaking his mum's rule so soon.   
  
With a little sigh, he stepped in front of Zayn. "Hey."   
  
Zayn looked up. His arms were crossed and he'd been staring at the floor. "Oh. Hi."   
  
When their eyes met, Harry thought to himself in that way he used for charms,  _Make him see._  
  
As soon as he did it, Zayn lowered his head again, and Harry stepped closer to Liam and repeated the process.   
  
A few seconds later, Liam and Zayn's hesitation disappeared and they agreed to the whole band idea. There were a fair amount of celebratory cheering and hugs. After all, they'd gotten through to judges houses. They didn't know if they'd get any further, but Harry knew he'd done the right thing in getting rid of Zayn and Liam's hesitation.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
The boys came to stay at his house so they could practice and get some sort of sound. The day before the boys actually came to his house, he and the rest of his family ran around, trying to hide anything that seemed weird or magical. He supposed he could have just told the guys his sister was into some weird stuff, but he knew that they couldn't take any chances. Normal people didn't know about those with magic. He hid his book of charms, the little bags of herbs, the crystals, and the little bottles of oils he'd obtained over the past three and a half years, packing them in box under his bed. Luckily he didn't have any weird clothes he had to hide. Everything he owned was Jack Wills or somewhere similar, so that was a relief.   
  
His bandmates didn't seem to think there was anything weird about Harry's house, although their cat Dusty didn't take too kindly to Louis at first. Louis laughed it off, saying, "Yeah, guess I'm a dog person."   
  
Harry thought that was a little weird, because Dusty liked almost everyone, but he shrugged it off. Louis was a great person, and his cat would come around. Sometimes cats were weird that way.   
  
It was a pretty good week, actually. They all got to know each other better. Niall and Liam had known each other at bootcamp, so they expressed relief that they were in a band together. Harry felt the same way when he thought of Louis and Zayn. Especially Louis, because he was the one he'd kept in touch with the most in the weeks following bootcamp. The guy could make him laugh like no one else could, and that was someone Harry wanted to be able to contact whenever he could.   
  
Soon after their week at Harry's house, they went to judges houses. It turned out that Simon was their judge, and though Harry was a little nervous about that, it was alright. He was actually nicer than Harry had thought he was. Actually, the scariest part of bootcamp was when Louis got stung by the sea urchin.   
  
When he came back from the hospital, Harry sat with Louis while the other lads went off to tell Simon, Sinitta, and the crew the good news.   
  
"Does it hurt?"   
  
Louis shook his head. "They've got me on some weird meds. I don't feel a thing!"   
  
"Can I see?" Harry asked, peering interestedly at Louis' foot. Maybe he could make it a little better. He gently took off the cloth bandage thing Louis had on his foot and cringed at how nasty the sting actually was. Louis' foot was completely red. He could have sworn his foot wasn't that gross looking when Louis had come back. But then again, Harry hadn't been concentrating on Louis' foot. Mostly there had been a lot of hugging.   
  
"Gross, isn't it?" Louis muttered, purposefully looking away from it. "Why would a sea urchin want to attack me? I mean, I'm amazing."   
  
Harry pursed his lips. He probably could clear this up a little for Louis, at least make it presentable and not hurt so much when the medicine wore off. He placed his hand above Louis' injury, and thought about healing Louis' foot. He didn't say anything aloud for fear that Louis would freak out at him, but thinking worked anyway. Some of the nastiness of the sting disappeared. Now it was still red, but it just appeared to be healing.   
  
"Doesn't look so bad." Harry said quietly, wondering if he should have done this. He took his hand away from Louis' foot quickly.   
  
Still, it was worth it to see how pleased Louis was with the improvement when he inspected his foot. "Weird. Oh well, I guess it wasn't so bad!"   
  
"Guess not." Harry fibbed, smiling because Louis was.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
When they got through to the live shows, Harry's first impulse was to cheer and hug his bandmates. It was only a few hours later when he lay in bed that he wondered how the hell he was going to hide his abilities from his new friends and fellow contestants. He was going to live in the same room with Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn for who knew how many weeks. Not only that, he would be surrounded by people on a daily basis, whether it was X Factor crew, his bandmates, other contestants, or fans, assuming they had any.   
  
It was surprisingly easy, as he made the vow to himself that he wouldn't use his magic unless he absolutely had to. There were still some elements that he couldn't escape, such as being able to charm most people by accident, attracting crowds. The other lads loved that, though, and Harry had to admit that a fair share was their fault anyway. Louis, Niall, Zayn, and Liam were four good-looking guys so Harry knew he couldn't be completely at fault. He was pretty sure he hadn't bewitched their fans without trying.   
  
Once in awhile throughout the competition, Louis would disappear all night. He was pretty sure it was just because he was weird or he was off to see his girlfriend. Harry tried not to let him bother him. But he couldn't really help it. Louis had become his best friend throughout this process, and he liked to know where he was. Whenever Louis returned, Harry would give him a hug, or an equivalent of a hug, and tell him not to run off anymore. Louis would roll his eyes, crack some joke, and march off like he was the king of Harry's life. Which he sort of was.   
  
They came third in the competition. They all took their elimination pretty hard. Harry couldn't help it. He'd wanted to win. He'd wanted to win  _for them_ , and seeing his bandmates' faces, he knew that he could have made that happen. It would have meant cheating and breaking his promise to his mum, but when he saw Liam, Niall, Zayn, and Louis' faces, he wished he'd had it in his heart to cheat. He'd actually come to love the guys, sappy as that was. As soon as they got off the stage, he grabbed Louis and pulled him into an embrace for a good three minutes. The other guys awkwardly hugged them as well. It was like some big One Direction huddle.   
  
"Guys, I think we have to go do some interview stuff." Liam said, looking up and off into the distance. Always the most alert and most professional.   
  
Harry just shook his head on Louis' shoulder. He knew that they all had stuff they had to do. They couldn't stay backstage and be total girls for the rest of the night. They had to get themselves together in time to congratulate either Matt or Rebecca.   
  
"C'mon, Harry." Louis said, grabbing Harry's shoulders. He gave them a squeeze and Harry looked up. His vision was quite blurry, and he wiped his eyes with his right hand, embarrassed. Louis smiled. Not mocking him, just gently. "We'll get through this, right, mate? We're still One Direction, even if we didn't win. Zayn wasn't lying out there, you know. We've talked about it. We're staying together. So cheer up. Things are only just starting."   
  
"Thanks." Harry choked out, trying to smile. Louis always knew how to say the right thing. "I'm just gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be back."   
  
Louis nodded, and reached up to brush some of Harry's hair to the side. "We'll see our families quickly and then come back here, okay?"   
  
"Yeah," Harry agreed. He turned from Louis and walked up to the bathroom, feeling like he was in a daze. They'd lost the competition. They'd  _lost the competition._  No matter what Louis said, there would always be that nagging thought.   
  
In the bathroom, he checked to make sure there was no one else in there. He looked under the stalls, and then when he was completely sure no one was around, he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like absolute crap. His cheeks were tearstained and his nose was running. He laughed to himself, thinking that these past few months had been the most emotional of his life. He'd never been so emotional before he got put into this band. He'd had some weird issue their second week in the competition and he still wasn't sure what had caused it. The doctor had concluded it was a panic attack and stage fright, but that had never happened to him before. And then when he'd gotten sick last week, he'd freaked out as well.   
  
He placed his hand over his face. He didn't actually touch it, but held his hand in front of it. When he removed his hand, the tear stains and snot were gone. His face was clean. He could face the world now.   
  
When he emerged from the bathroom, he found Louis. He smiled at how Harry had managed to clean up and led the way. They didn't actually have to walk far, because their families had come backstage to save time. Louis hugged his family, friends, and girlfriend while Harry found himself in the arms of his own family. His mum whispered in his ear that she was proud of him, and Gemma called him the greatest little brother ever. His step-dad hugged him as well, and congratulated him. Because being in the final  _was_  a huge achievement. They'd made it all the way to third place. As he talked to his family, he grew to accept what had just happened. As much as he would have liked to win, they still did very well.   
  
Finally, his and Louis' families had to go back to their seats. Harry smiled a bit when their mums began chatting about how the boys might get signed anyway, how they would be successful, and how the two of them would remain friends after this also. There was no guarantee they'd get signed, but Harry knew they'd stay together.   
  
He walked back over to Louis, trying to smile. He did feel a little better now. He just needed the shock to sink in.   
  
"Alright, boys?"   
  
Harry turned to find Liam, Niall, and Zayn walking toward them. They all looked a little somber, but they seemed to have accepted the elimination as well. He nodded at them as they approached to signify that they were okay. They  _were_  going to be alright.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry had perfected keeping his magic a secret from the boys, so it wasn't very much trouble to keep it from them when they stayed in hotels together, traveled to Los Angeles together, and eventually went on the X Factor tour. Sure, when he was alone, he would do little things like making something fly to him from across the room, or change his outfit in one second if he was in a hurry. But he knew when he could and couldn't do those things. Especially on the tour bus.   
  
Louis  _still_  did his disappearing act sometimes, even on tour. Sometimes he would just run off, or Harry would catch him coming into a hotel lobby early in the morning. He assumed Louis was just getting up to his old pranks, going off to see friends and his girlfriend again. But it had grown to bother him. He wasn't sure why. Maybe he just wanted to be included.   
  
Still, whenever Louis wasn't off doing God knows what, he was with the rest of them. He and Harry spent a great deal of time together. Whenever Louis would do stuff on stage, like slap his ass, Harry would just laugh at him and enjoy his time on stage with his boys. They always got up to something fun, like counting the amount of times Liam would act like he was in a more classic boyband, or dressing up on stage for charity. It was honestly the best time of his life.   
  
At least until they started recording their album. Well, technically they'd started before the tour, but now they really got to it. There were long days in the studio but Harry loved it. He loved finding the right harmonies with the boys, deciding which songs their fans would like, which ones girls might swoon over. He loved hearing Louis share his ideas. Seeing how excited Louis got made Harry reconsider his favorite part of this. Maybe  _this_  was the best time of his life.


	2. Chapter 2

"Remember when we had conjunctivitis?"   
  
Harry looked up from the magazine he was reading. Louis was hovering over him, like he always did. "What are you even talking about? We never had conjunctivitis."   
  
"We're performing on the Halloween results show! Remember the Halloween show last year?" Louis prompted. "Remember our red eye makeup? Danni called his hot vampires. Have to say, I don't envy the contestants this year. Compared to what they had to wear this year, we got off easy."   
  
Harry had to agree. They'd performed "Total Eclipse of the Heart" during Halloween week, and for some reason they'd been convinced that their Halloween look had been cool. The whole thing had been amusing to him. Not just because they looked funny, but because technically he got to make fun of Samhain. His family was open-minded enough to find it cute, luckily. It wasn't like Harry even did much for Samhain - that was left up to the people in the coven. Still, he'd grown up hearing how special and sacred it was, how it was that one day of the year when the veil between the spirit world and the living world was thinnest. And yet he'd dressed up as a ridiculous looking vampire. He laughed to himself quietly.   
  
"Is it weird that I'm nervous?" Harry asked Louis, looking at him again. "I mean, our music has been doing well, and we've performed live, but we haven't done many live television performances."   
  
"I'm more nervous about next week," Louis said, slinging an arm around Harry's shoulder as he sat next to him. "when we go on the US show and face Uncle Simon."  
  
"Don't remind me!" Harry said, burying his face in the magazine again.  
  
"Hey," Louis grabbed the magazine from Harry's hands. "Is that the one with our new interview?"  
  
"The Halloween thing? No." Harry replied. They'd done a Halloween-themed interview awhile ago. Mostly the girl conducting the interview wanted to know what they all liked to dress up as. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that she wanted to turn the conversation dirty, but Louis was having none of that, loudly reminding her of the time he dressed up as a carrot on the X Factor tour.   
  
"That's out today, isn't it? We have to get a copy!" Louis had this thing for collecting magazines they were featured in. As far as Harry was concerned, it was just more clutter in their flat.   
  
"Alright, if you want to march up to someone at a store and buy a girl magazine, that's up to you." Harry teased, grinning. Louis snickered, reached up, and messed up Harry's hair. "C'mon. We have to meet up with the other guys.   
  
They met up with Zayn outside the dressing room, walked a little further down the familiar hallway, and then found Liam and Niall standing together, ready to walk onto stage. Niall's face was red, like he'd been laughing. This was one of those times Harry wished he could read minds. Maybe there was a charm for that. He made a mental note to check on that. Even if he didn't use it to his advantage, it would still be good to know, just in case.   
  
The performance actually went okay, despite the nerves. The judges, even the ones who hadn't been on the show last year, stood up for them, welcoming them back to the stage. They stood together like they would stand after getting judged, with their arms draped all over each other. Even when the other lads stepped away, Harry didn't let go of Louis. They walked off stage last, and Dermot actually said, "Off you go, Larry Stylinson!" As a result, several girls in the audience screamed.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Later, they were all hanging out in Zayn's room when Louis produced the teen magazine they had been talking about before. "Here's our interview, boys!"   
  
"Did you really go and buy that?" Zayn asked, amused. Still, he grabbed the magazine from Louis and flipped it open to its contents so they could find the part about them.   
  
"Yeah, what of it?" Louis grinned. "It's not that interesting actually. But they were particularly interested in Harry."   
  
Harry scanned over the other boys' sections first. Louis' quotation about carrots was in there, of course. Niall talked about Ireland and how amazing everything was, obviously. Liam talked about how much he loved his bandmates, which wasn't a surprise. And of course Zayn talked about Rebecca and how they were going to America soon. Then Harry saw the part about him.   
  
The first thing that caught his eye was  _There's something magical about Harry Styles_. Harry nearly choked when he read it. He made a pretty disgusting sound and then coughed to get himself together before looking up to find the other boys staring at him.   
  
"You alright, man?" Niall asked, tilting his head slightly with concern.   
  
Harry nodded, and smiled at the others. "Yeah, sorry. Just choked on my own spit."   
  
"I'd expect that from Louis, but you?" Liam smiled slightly. He took the magazine from Harry's hands, because it was clear that Harry wasn't interested in reading it anymore. Harry knew that he'd overreacted. After all, it was a Halloween issue. Of course they were going to mention magic. But it was just so weird to see his name and the word "magic" in the same sentence. "This doesn't say anything bad about you, if you were freaking out about something it said."   
  
"No, I just had a weird moment." Harry insisted. He sighed. He really had to be more careful around the guys. Though he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to keep this from the guys as long as they were a band. There was probably going to be some moment that he would have to tell them. But that wasn't now and he wasn't allowed to tell them anyway. The only way he could tell them was if he got caught using his magic. And he wasn't about to do that on purpose, considering there was no telling how they would react. Well...  
  
It wasn't that hard to know how they would react, actually. After they got over the shock of it, Liam and Niall would probably be fascinated by it. Zayn would pretend not to be fascinated, but he totally would be. The only one he wasn't sure about was Louis, which bothered Harry because he cared about Louis' opinion most of all, as much as he hated to admit it. It was Louis he was with most of the time, and Louis who made him feel better whenever he felt like crap. And it was Louis who was his best mate and made him laugh like no one else could.   
  
If he was going to tell anybody, it would be him.   
  
But he wasn't going to tell anybody.  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o  
  
The next week, they flew to America and performed on the US X Factor. The performance on the UK show had given Harry some confidence and he was pretty sure he did well. They weren't sure how the American audience would receive them because America wasn't too big on boybands, but the crowd seemed to enjoy them. Simon sat smirking in his seat, as if he knew this performance would propel them into stardom internationally. He flashed his smug grin and said, "They didn't win, but I went with my heart and chose to sign them. I'm so proud of you boys."   
  
Harry looked at the other boys as Simon said that. Zayn and Niall both had huge grins on their faces. Liam looked like he was tearing up a little bit. Louis was fake-crying, pretending to wipe tears away from his cheeks. Now that they weren't actually in the competition, Louis didn't get as emotional on the stage.   
  
Backstage, they let loose with their excitement. Niall hugged everyone, claiming they'd "made it" because they were here doing things, and not just recording an album. It was true. Before they headed back to the U.K. they had a few more appearances to make. They were going to be on the Tonight Show on Monday, and then they would fly to New York, appear on Late Night, the Today Show, and Saturday Night Live as the musical guest. Harry was as excited as he was nervous. He'd wanted this.   
  
"You aren't flailing with us." Louis approached Harry and squinted at him. "If you're not excited, I'm going to make Niall fart on you."   
  
"I am!" Harry assured him. He looked at the others. "I promise! It's just...  _wow_. You know?"   
  
Liam nodded, completely understanding what Harry meant. "Yeah. It's insane. A year ago we were on a show like this. And now, well, how did we even get here? You know what? I'm going to tweet that." He took his phone out of his pocket and typed away. Harry imagined all the spelling errors Liam was making as he typed, but he didn't care. Everything else was just too overwhelming.   
  
They all decided to go right back to the hotel after the show, despite invites to go out on the town. They'd done that plenty and they'd have plenty more opportunities. As they walked toward the car, Louis got a phone call. He excused himself and stepped away. Harry watched Louis as he spoke. He seemed annoyed, even though Harry couldn't hear anything he was saying. Harry was pretty sure he could use his magic to hear Louis, but he knew enough not to do that. Plus if it bothered Louis so much, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. At least until Louis told him himself.   
  
When Louis came back over, he still didn't look happy. "Well, boys, I have to go."   
  
" _What_?" Zayn asked, his eyes wide.   
  
"We're all supposed to stick together." Liam reminded him. Niall nodded in agreement. Harry couldn't say anything. Louis was doing it again. Running off. This time, in America.   
  
"I'll be back in a few hours. Promise." he said. "Just accept my mysterious ways. It's the most interesting thing about me." He smiled, and then his eyes met Harry's. Louis' gaze softened just a little. "Hazza, don't worry. I'll text you when I'm back."   
  
Harry couldn't help but nod. Louis had never been so  _honest_  about his running off before. The other boys probably didn't even know the amount of times Louis had left like this. Louis turned and walked away, waving at them as he disappeared from view. As soon as he was out of eyesight, the other lads cornered him, asking him what Louis was doing, who he might be with, where he was going.   
  
All Harry could tell them was that he didn't know.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Two hours later, Louis still hadn't texted him or come back to the hotel. Harry lay on his bed, staring at various parts of the room and changing the colors of the wall, the bedspread, and his suitcase. He had made various objects float over to him that he got bored of right away, like his notebook, magazines, and his phone. He didn't even want to bother with his computer. It would only remind him that Louis had been gone for two hours in a strange city where he didn't know many people. Well, maybe they knew more people here than they did a year ago, but still. It was weird.   
  
Seriously,  _where_  was he? And what was he doing? Harry supposed he could be out at a club, or meeting up with some girl. But if he was at a club, why wouldn't he bring any of them along? The girl thing was definitely plausible. He was single now, so there wasn't anything standing in his way. Still, wouldn't he tell Harry about it if that was what he was doing? At least mention there was a girl he was seeing? Harry rolled his eyes.   
  
God, Louis was  _ridiculous_. And not only that, the temptation to do something about it was nearly killing him. He was okay at divination. It would be  _so easy_  to invade Louis' privacy.   
  
His phone buzzed beside him and he picked it up, eager to have any message from Louis. Instead, it was Liam texting from Niall's phone. " _heyyyy harry u want 2 do a twitcam?? :d_ "   
  
Harry sighed. A twitcam? Right now? It probably would get his mind off Louis. After all, it probably wasn't healthy to obsess over his best friend this much. Still, he didn't really feel up to it. He wanted to be here when Louis got back. He wanted to make Louis tell him where he was always sneaking off to. He typed a message back,  _Sorry... too tired. x_ ,' and put the phone on the table beside him. He continued to change the colors of the room around for a few more minutes until he actually did grow more tired.   
  
He reached over and put the sound on his phone on, just in case he fell asleep.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"You'd think after doing this so much, we'd actually get it right." Liam said.   
  
Niall rolled his eyes and clicked out of the twitcam website before opening the browser again and typing in the address. Liam watched him, unsure of why they were both so technologically inadequate. It seemed like only Harry and Louis could make twitcams work by themselves. Niall had explained to him that usually when he was home in Ireland, Sean was the one who started up the twitcam. Likewise, Liam was always with other people when he did a twitcam. He was hardly ever on his own.   
  
The fans were begging them for a twitcam from America, so they'd agreed. Though Zayn declined, Harry said he was too tired, and Louis was still out. That left the two of them to try to amuse their fans. If they were even awake at this hour. He figured it had to be early in the morning over in the U.K.   
  
"Finally!" Niall exclaimed when it began working. They already had a lot of viewers. Niall peered into the camera. "Can you hear us?"   
  
There were a bunch of responses and it was hard to keep track of them all. Mainly the fans wanted shoutouts and some confirmed that they could hear and see the both of them. Liam grinned at their success and did give shoutout to a few girls, promising Harry, Louis, and Zayn would marry them.   
  
"Obviously he speaks for all of us." Niall rolled his eyes at the camera. "So, what should we do?"   
  
"And remember, we're not supposed to call people anymore." Liam said. "So put that idea out of your pretty heads."   
  
Niall snickered. Then his eyes widened when he saw what people were suggesting. "Wow, some of our fans have interesting imaginations! Truth or dare, though, that sounds good. Liam?"   
  
Liam wasn't too sure what would come of truth or dare, but he didn't want to seem like he was too afraid of it, so he agreed. He suggested that they change the game a little, make the fans suggest things to do and ask things to say. They ignored really personal questions, of course, or questions about other people. Liam had never been too open about his personal life with the fans. It just wasn't his style. They both answered what fans started calling "boring" questions, so they told the fans to suggest more stuff for them to do.   
  
One fan tweeted that she dared Liam to text a line from a romantic song to Louis. Liam rolled his eyes and texted Louis a random line that he remembered from a song he'd heard last week. He considered an N'Sync lyric but thought that might be a little much. Either way, it would make Louis smile and when he read it, he'd probably say something about how it was too soon to be texting lyrics to each other.   
  
"I'm not going to steal Harry's shorts!" Niall said into the camera. "His room is locked anyway, I think."   
  
Liam smiled at his friend and then looked back at the screen, reading the chat box. "Where's Louis? Actually, he's out somewhere. Something you didn't know about Louis, he's  _very_ mysterious. We love him, though. Zayn and Harry are both sleeping.  _No_ , not in the same room."   
  
Louis and Harry were actually sharing a room, and Liam wondered if that had been why Harry didn't feel like twitcamming. Maybe he was put off by Louis going off without him. Those two were usually attached at the hip so it makes sense.   
  
" _Snog_? Did you really just dare us to kiss?" Niall chuckled awkwardly. Liam turned to look at him again. Niall was blushing now, but he shook his head in disbelief. Liam understood; the fans were always pairing them up, him and Niall included. He had encountered a lot of fans asking them weird things like that. But he'd never actually acknowledged it on camera. The most he'd done was tweet about a photoshopped picture of him and Niall. As soon as Niall realized what he'd done, he blushed even deeper, refusing to look at Liam. "Alright, maybe it's time for sleep!" he announced suddenly. "Bye, fans!"   
  
As soon as he clicked out of the window, Niall took a deep breath, still facing away from Liam. Liam watched him. The kissing dare had gotten to Niall more than it had gotten to Liam for some reason. "Niall?"   
  
Niall finally turned to him. "Yeah, our fans are weird, huh?"   
  
"What's wrong?" Liam asked. Because usually Niall was happy and amused by everything. He didn't usually act awkward.   
  
Niall held his hands together and twiddled his thumbs. "I just... 'kay, there's something I have to tell you. I was just looking for the right time. Actually, I've been putting it off. But  _that_ ," he pointed to the computer, "just reminded me."   
  
Liam nodded. What could that dare possibly remind Niall about? Unless... Liam's stomach ached as he asked, "Oh god, you don't fancy me, do you?"   
  
Niall's eyes grew wide and he shook his head. "That's not what I was gonna say. But," He took a deep breath. "I  _do_  think I like guys." he confessed. "I mean, girls too, but... yeah."   
  
"Oh. Okay." Liam said. He took a moment to process that. Okay, so Niall liked guys. Not  _really_  a big deal. "How did you know?"   
  
"They're just..." Niall shrugged. "I like them. That's all. But I haven't told any of the other lads yet. You're the first one. I don't know if I want to tell them yet."   
  
"Why?" Liam asked. "They're not going to care." And it was true. Liam was glad they'd all been put together in the band. They were all open-minded enough not to care about something like this. They might tease each other and make obscene jokes and gestures, but when it came down to it, they all loved each other. He put his arm around Niall's shoulders to reassure him of that. "And I don't mind either."   
  
"Glad you don't mind. There's something else that you  _might_  mind, though. And it's not what you said before. I need your help. If you'll give it to me."   
  
Liam squinted, suspicious. "Help with what?"   
  
"Help meeting guys!" Niall blurted out. He laughed for a moment and then stopped, embarrassed all over again. "I wanna give guys a try, but I don't want the fans to find out. Since we're somewhere not everyone recognizes us yet, maybe..."   
  
"What would I know about meeting guys?" Liam asked his friend. "You, like, want me to go to gay bars with you and stuff?"  _That_  had the potential get get a little awkward. No, he'd had no problem performing at G-A-Y, but actually hanging out somewhere like that?   
  
"I don't know. Forget I said anything." Niall said quickly, standing up.   
  
Liam stared at him for a good minute. Niall actually trusted him with this, and that was actually kind of incredible. He could have told anyone else in the band, confided in anyone else he knew. "Do your friends from home know?"   
  
Niall nodded. "Yeah. Some of them. Just Sean, Scott, and those friends. Not all of them."   
  
"Okay."   
  
"Okay?" Niall asked, confused.   
  
"Okay, I'll help you." Liam told him. He wondered if he was getting himself in over his head, but he couldn't back out now. Niall was counting on him. "I'll help you... meet guys or whatever."   
  
Niall gave him a huge smile and then leaped at him, pulling him into a hug. Liam tried to smile although Niall couldn't see, because smiling would help him deal with the fact that he was sort of nervous about this.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
It was like no one could see or hear him. Harry was only a few steps behind Louis, but so far Louis hadn't grown suspicious or turned to look at him. No one on the street had see him, even if the lights made everything somewhat bright. He was invisible. Or maybe he was dreaming. He wasn't sure, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to follow Louis.   
  
Louis was on his mobile phone again, and his conversation was extremely confusing. "You  _promised me_ ," said Louis. "You said I wouldn't have to." And then a moment later. "Yeah, but aren't there others...?"   
  
It was one of those rare moments Louis wasn't using humor to distract himself or others, and it fascinated Harry. He showed pure frustration, but he kept walking toward his destination. He didn't look lost; actually, he seemed to know the streets of L.A. quite well. When he hung up his phone, he gave a determined sigh and just walked further, muttering something to himself about how he could be doing a twitcam with his boys, but instead he was doing  _this_.   
  
Louis stopped in front of an old building and stared at it. Harry instantly got the chills as he stopped next to Louis. It was a large, old house and it looked abandoned. Harry may have been raised to be accepting of creepy things, but there was something  _wrong_  about this house. But Louis didn't look creeped out. He was still too annoyed to be scared. Or maybe Louis went around hanging out in creepy houses all the time.   
  
Louis took out his phone once more and checked something, nodding silently to himself. It was a confirmation of something. Maybe that he had the right address. Then Louis put his phone away and began to walk toward the door.   
  
"Louis, don't!" Harry said loudly.   
  
But of course Louis couldn't hear him.   
  
Harry felt like he had no choice but to follow.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"No!  _No_! Stop!"   
  
"Harry?!" Louis called. He stood outside their hotel room door. Why was Harry yelling? Was there something in there with him? Louis swore, sure something had followed him back to his hotel. He knew that it would all catch up with him eventually.   
  
One hand in his pocket, he slid the room key in the lock and opened the door. As soon as he stepped inside the room, he realized that Harry was alone. But he was still yelling, and thrashing violently on the bed. Something was definitely wrong. This didn't look like some ordinary nightmare. Something had to have invaded his dreams. This wasn't normal. Though Harry probably didn't realize what was going on.   
  
"No! Don't!"   
  
"Harry." Louis said, suddenly. He walked over to Harry's bed and sat down beside him, shaking him awake. "Harry, wake up!"   
  
Harry stopped moving and yelling, and opened his eyes a moment later. He took in the sight of Louis and began shaking. "Louis."   
  
"Harry, what happened?"   
  
Harry moved forward and threw his arms around Louis. He buried his face into Louis' shoulder. His sleeve wasn't getting wet, so he knew Harry wasn't crying or anything, but he was still shaking and having a difficult time breathing. God, a nightmare like this was not good for someone with anxiety issues, which was something they both knew about. Harry just stayed like that for a few minutes, and neither of them cared that the embrace wasn't particularly manly. Finally, Harry pulled away to look at him. "You were gone for  _hours_ , you bastard! You can't keep doing that!"   
  
"I know." Louis replied. That hadn't been the plan, but he hadn't expected to find so much to do. And the problem was that he  _had_  to keep doing this. He just needed to find a more subtle way. He knew it bothered Harry, especially because Louis couldn't tell him what was going on. And then there was the whole thing where Harry would probably freak out about Louis' safety. But Louis could only imagine how  _he_  would feel if Harry was keeping a secret this big from him. "I'm sorry."   
  
"I had a nightmare that you were being attacked. You were wearing the same clothes you are now."   
  
Well...  _that_  was strange. There was no way Harry knew what was going on, right? "What? Weird. Attacked by what?"   
  
"I don't know. These monster things. In this big house. It felt real. I was there but you couldn't see me."   
  
Louis didn't know how to respond to that. That sounded awfully similar to what had happened tonight, even though in the end, it had turned out to be the opposite;  _he_  hadn't been attacked. Not really. Still.  _Monster things._  How could Harry possibly dream about that?   
  
"Harry, do I look like I've been attacked?" Louis smiled reassuringly.   
  
"No."   
  
"I'm fine."   
  
"Okay."   
  
"But that really shook you up, didn't it? You even look a little ill." Louis studied Harry's face. The poor guy was a bit green. "But I promise, it's okay. Why would monsters even exist? Nothing attacked me and nothing is  _going_  to attack me. Alright?"   
  
Well, technically he couldn't promise that, but as long as it made Harry feel better. Harry nodded, though he seemed uncertain.   
  
"Right. Now let's break into Niall's room. I'm bored." Louis wasn't actually bored, but he needed a way to distract his friend.   
  
Harry smiled now, relieved. "Alright."


	3. Chapter 3

The next week, they were in New York. They arrived on Wednesday, and didn't have to leave until Sunday, much to Harry's relief. He needed to find some answers, and New York was probably the best place in the world to find them. If he couldn't be at home, at least he was here. There was such a large community of people here who had the same magic as he did. Not that he had sought them out before. But ever since he'd had that nightmare, he knew he had to.   
  
As soon as he was alone in his hotel room Wednesday evening, he phoned his mum, not feeling guilty about the long distance since this  _was_  sort of an emergency. When she answered, he instantly felt guilty. She sounded tired. He'd forgotten about the time difference. "Mum?"   
  
"Hi, honey. How's America?"   
  
"I'm sorry I woke you up!" he said immediately. "I forgot."   
  
"It's alright, I knew you would call. How are you, H?"   
  
"I... I was wondering if you knew where the New York coven was. I have a problem." He eyed the door, and then used his magic to lock it just in case. It was just a precaution, so he had some warning time in case Louis or any of the guys came barging into the room.   
  
"What problem?" she asked, now fully alert.   
  
Harry gave her a brief description of the dream he'd had. He hadn't told Louis everything about the dream. And whatever he'd told Louis hadn't triggered anything in Louis, or at least he hadn't reacted to anything. He had assured Harry that he was fine. But the dream had seemed so lifelike. The  _fear_  that he'd had while watching Louis in the house had been real. His fear when he'd woken up had been real. It had nearly made him sick to his stomach. It would have if Louis hadn't woken him up. He couldn't stand to watch Louis getting hurt like that. "And so I want them to pick my brain and maybe I can get some answers."   
  
"Have you had any nightmares since then, hon?"   
  
"No, but I'm positive it meant something." Harry told her. "I was thinking about divination before I went to sleep."   
  
She told him that she would get in touch with their own coven and then the New York coven and then contact him again to see what they would say. Harry knew that it was the best that he would get, and that the boys would be back soon, so he thanked her, told her he loved her, and then hung up.   
  
He quickly changed into his sweats and took out his computer. A few moments later, the boys came into the hotel room with pizza boxes. Harry smiled as Zayn turned on the TV and they all sat down on the two beds. Harry sat next to Louis while Liam and Niall sat together, awkward, like they'd just had a conversation they didn't want to relive. Zayn was mostly interested in finding something interesting to watch.   
  
"We should go out tomorrow," Louis suggested. "All of us."   
  
Niall and Liam exchanged a strange look that made Harry wish again that he was one to invade other people's privacy. They looked reluctant to actually go out with the rest of them for some odd reason. "What's up?" he asked them. He couldn't resist.   
  
"We... are going to se a show tomorrow night." Niall said. "I, uh, won tickets? Two tickets. Uh..." He looked at Liam, who looked actually looked scared of saying anything. "So. Uh."   
  
"Well, we could try to get more tickets." Harry suggested. He knew a few handy charms for that purpose. "You know how Louis loves his musicals."   
  
Louis nodded. "It's true. I do."   
  
"It's... uh... sold out." Liam said, finally, choking out the words. Clearly lying. Harry didn't even need to read his mind to know that. Liam was not a good liar, and the fact that Niall was acting weird as well was highly suspicious. "Maybe Friday night we can all go out."   
  
Zayn rolled his eyes as he swallowed the last bit of his piece of pizza. "Alright, something weird is going on. And you don't want to tell us."   
  
Niall shook his head and insisted that there wasn't. No one in the room believed him.   
  
Harry wasn't sure, but he suspected that Zayn was the only one in the room that hadn't lied to any other member of the band recently.  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"My first guests are a teenage boyband that have already stolen several European girls' hearts. Now they're ready to do the same to the girls here. Please welcome Zayn, Niall, Louis, Liam, and Harry. They're One Direction!" Jimmy Fallon announced.   
  
Harry walked out beside Louis and in back of Niall, Liam, and Zayn. He smiled at the Roots as they played their own version of the song they had performed on the X Factor last week.   
  
They all sat down and immediately Jimmy began drilling them about what they'd been up to while in America. "Tell us the story for anyone who doesn't know. You guys didn't audition for the X Factor as a band?"   
  
"No," Liam said calmly. He explained the story while Harry looked out the audience. People of fall ages were captivated by them for some reason. It wasn't just because he was charming them, either. Everyone's eyes were on Liam right now.   
  
"Now tell me a little something about each of you." Jimmy told them. He pointed to Harry. "You, Curly, you're the flirt, right?"   
  
Harry shrugged. "I like to have fun." Yeah, maybe he was a flirt. Part of that had to do with his personality and part of that had to do with accidentally charming people.   
  
"Louis is a flirt as well." Niall blurted out, smiling big.   
  
"Really now?" Jimmy asked, looking at Louis. He'd been quiet so far. Though he'd been quiet all day. "Maybe you're the flirt of the band? Breaking all the British girls' hearts?"   
  
Louis shook his head. "When Niall says I'm a flirt, he means I flirt with these four." To emphasize his point, he put an arm around Harry's shoulders. Harry had to grin at how ridiculous his best mate was. He gave Jimmy a cheeky little grin. "I'm hardly a flirt, really."   
  
Harry snorted. Because between kissing all of them on the cheek and on the head, grabbing their asses, and generally being all over them, one would believe that Louis wasn't completely straight and that he  _was_  flirting with them. That didn't matter, though. It provided endless amusement for the rest of them.   
  
"And you two," Jimmy signaled to Louis and Harry. "You're not..."   
  
"Well," Louis said, and Harry faced him. Their eyes met and Harry couldn't help but smile at him. "I suppose we should come right out with it. Me and Harry. We're close." He looked at the audience, and then pulled Harry closer. "We're really, really close. Like,  _really_  close."   
  
Zayn shook his head. "They're best mates."   
  
Louis reached over to Zayn and pretended to smack him upside the head. "You ruined it!"   
  
Harry watched the exchange with amusement. This wasn't the first time someone had insinuated that he and Louis were more than friends, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. They loved playing it up, and making the fans go crazy on Twitter. Every time Harry tweeted something about Louis, his mentions were flooded with stuff about him and Louis, how they were practically married. And, well, that was sort of true. Except for that whole being gay part. That... wasn't true. Not really.   
  
Well, maybe Harry had wondered on occasion if Louis actually meant it. He was a confusing guy sometimes. Still, if Louis  _did_  mean it, Harry wouldn't just stop being his best friend. He'd be supportive. He'd still treat him the same as he always had. He shook his head. What was he thinking? Louis wasn't into guys. He would have told him ages ago. The only secrets they kept from each other were the ones they absolutely couldn't tell. Like Harry's magic. It wasn't his fault he couldn't tell anyone. Besides, Louis knew everything else about him.   
  
Niall, Liam, and Zayn were the ones to mostly speak during the interview. Harry kept drifting off to thoughts of that dream he'd had. Tonight he was going to meet the New York coven. His mum had arranged it for him, and let him know that no major rituals were happening tonight. Mostly just the coven leaders would be there, doing whatever coven leaders did. He wasn't allowed to know.   
  
But first, they had to finish taping Late Night. After the speaking portion, Jimmy had them paint each other's faces just for laughs. Harry drew flowers on Louis' face which cracked everyone up, especially Louis when he looked in the mirror. When Harry looked over at Niall's face, he found that Liam and Zayn had just colored on him like they were four years old and didn't know how to draw anything. It was kind of cute how they were so proud of it as well.   
  
"I think it's safe to say that Harry and Louis won." Jimmy announced. The audience applauded and Harry bowed. Niall, Liam, and Zayn all rolled their eyes as if to say  _of course_  they would win. They were Larry Stylinson and they were unstoppable.   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry was the first to leave that night. He had the address and knew exactly where he needed to go. The coven apparently had their own floor of a building where they practiced their rituals, though occasionally they went out of town and did rituals on the beaches of Long Island. It was hard for them to get to nature, though, and usually they just stayed in the city. Harry didn't mind; it was easier for him to get to.   
  
He made the excuse that he was going to see some family friends. And that was sort of true. Louis looked a little confused. After all, why wouldn't Harry tell him about this before? Still, Harry stood by what he said and explained that they just had to meet up for a little while and discuss some family matters. Liam, Niall, and Zayn just accepted this, while Louis still seemed like he wasn't sure what to think.   
  
Harry took a car to the building, but had it drop him off a block away, just because he was a little paranoid about doing this. He even wore a hat and sunglasses so that no one recognized him.   
  
When he reached the building, he buzzed up to their floor, and was instructed to take the elevator up. When he reached the floor, he stepped out of the elevator and rang the doorbell.   
  
A moment later, a balding, middle-aged man opened the door and immediately smiled at him. "Hi, you must be Harry. I'm Bill."   
  
He nodded. "Nice to meet you." He shook Bill's hand and followed him into the the room. He wondered if Bill was in charge. When he entered the living room, he found just a few other people, which shouldn't have surprised him since there were no rituals today. Another middle aged man, a middle aged woman, and a girl that seemed to be Harry's age. They all introduced themselves. The middle-aged man was named Dave and apparently family, though Bill and Christine, the woman, were married. The girl was the daughter and Bill and Christine and her name was Vanessa. From the way her eyes bugged out Harry guessed that she knew who he was. He tried to give her a reassuring smile.   
  
"So your mother told us you had a weird dream." Christine said as she sat down on one of the couches. She patted the spot next to her, indicating that Harry should sit down. He did as he was told.   
  
Harry explained the dream, giving as much detail as possible. "And when he came back, he said that he hadn't been attacked. But he was sort of weird about it. He changed the subject. But how could he have been attacked if he didn't look like he did?"   
  
"Did you actually see him get attacked?" Christine asked him, staring at him intensely. It made Harry sort of uncomfortable, but he continued.   
  
"Well... He kind of stepped closer to the monster thing, and it saw him. He seemed surprised by that, cursed, and then kind of..." Harry struggled to remember it exactly. "I think... he threw something. The monster thing screamed and stepped toward him. Then my vision cut out. What does that mean?"   
  
Christine exchanged a look with Bill and Dave. They looked just as confused as she did. Then she turned back to Harry. "Harry, the first thing you need to know is that other supernaturals exist. Do you think Louis could be one?"   
  
Harry faced forward. He had never considered that possibility. His eyes briefly met Vanessa's wide ones, but he looked down at the floor again. "I don't know. He  _is_  secretive. He always disappears at night."   
  
"He could be a shapeshifter," Bill suggested. "Or a vampire."   
  
Harry sat in silence, taking this in. A vampire. Or a shapeshifter. A werewolf.   
  
"Is there anything else that seems weird about him?" Dave asked Harry. "Anything that could help you figure it out?"   
  
Harry gave it some thought. Most of Louis' weirdness had to do with him disappearing at night. But... there was something else. Something he'd forgotten about until he was forced to think about it. He said awkwardly, "My cat doesn't like him."   
  
Bill nodded and Dave looked sympathetic. Christine said, "Then he most likely is a shapeshifter or vampire. You just need to ask him which one. Once he finds out you're a supernatural too, he'll probably feel safer. Like he won't have to hide anything from you."   
  
Harry still wasn't sure what he should do. If Louis really was a supernatural, would he even admit to it? Even if Harry admitted to being one, would Louis even tell him? They trusted each other, but how deep did that run?   
  
"Why don't you join us for dinner?" Christine suggested. "You look wiped out after hearing that."   
  
Harry nodded. He couldn't really speak.   
  
  
  
  
A few minutes later, all of the adults went to talk in the kitchen and make dinner while Vanessa tentatively sat next to Harry on the couch. "I can't believe you're one of us," she gushed, "I nearly had a heart attack when my mom and dad told me. I've been a fan of you guys since last year! It must be hard to keep it a secret from the other guys."   
  
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, it is. Louis especially, you know? And now all  _this_. I don't know what I'm going to do if he's a vampire or something. I didn't even know those things existed. I thought we were the only ones who weren't... normal."   
  
"I only learned about the other supernaturals when I joined the coven last month. Apparently this is top secret information." She smiled. "It's interesting that you and Louis have some kind of dream connection."   
  
"Yeah, it's weird." Harry said. "It's not like I've had dreams about anyone else that felt real. But then again it was probably because he was in danger."   
  
"You said he didn't look like he'd even been scratched, though." she pointed out, raising her eyebrows. "It's probably because of your close friendship."   
  
"I'm close to the other lads as well." Harry replied. "It's just that Louis has been my best friend for... well, not that long, actually. I just wish he would tell me if he's a supernatural."  
  
"Like you've told him?"   
  
Harry sighed. "Yeah, hypocritical. I know. But we're not allowed to tell anyone who we are. What am I supposed to do?"   
  
"Oh, I know, believe me. My friends from school, I  _wish_  I could tell them. I always wonder if any of them are different. But we're all different, you know? Everyone has something. I mean, I can't sing at all. But some people can sing and that's their thing. Just like some people can do magic and some can't." She shrugged and then smiled. "I think that if Louis does admit to being supernatural, you should tell him. You can feel alone when you're one of us."   
  
"Are there a lot of people our age like us in New York City?" Harry asked, suddenly wanting to change the subject. He wasn't sure why, but it was hard for him to discuss Louis. He knew he would have to confront him sometime in the future, but the thought made him uncomfortable. If he was a vampire or something, and Harry said,  _I know what you are_ , Louis could just kill him.   
  
"Yeah, plenty in the coven!" Vanessa told him, nodding eagerly. "I'm a freshman at NYU and I even go to school with some of them."   
  
That was apparently the right subject to change to, because she chatted on about it in the next few minutes before dinner was ready. It was alright, though, because Harry liked hearing about other people like him. He didn't know many his age. It didn't even matter that he wasn't eighteen yet. It was just a relief to find someone who understood.   
  
During dinner, while Christine passed Dave the salad, Bill mentioned Louis again. Vanessa was quiet, listening carefully. She smiled when the adults mentioned Harry and Louis' "close friendship." He tried to make a joke out of it, telling them to watch The Late Show that night because there would be jokes about that. Despite his ability to joke, he was extremely nervous. He felt somewhat sick about the possibility of confronting Louis, and even sicker about the fact that their friendship might not be able to survive everything.   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"Liam, you can't wear that." Niall said, feeling a bit paranoid about tonight. "You're going to a gay club, not a fancy restaurant."   
  
"I didn't bring that much stuff with me!" Liam reminded him. He groaned and sat on the bed. He had to keep reminding himself that he was doing this for Niall. Niall was worried about the whole... gay... thing, and Liam was trying to help him. Even if he was going to sit alone all night and watch Niall from a distance, just to make sure no creepers came up to him and asked Niall to go home with them.   
  
"Here," Niall said. He said, picking out one of Liam's white t-shirts and a button up shirt. "Wear that with jeans, you'll be fine. And not your jogger jeans either, mate."   
  
Liam nodded determinedly and went into the bathroom to change. When he emerged, he found Niall putting on his shoes, but he seemed nervous. He kept muttering encouragements to himself. "You know, this is going to be okay." Liam said, approaching him from the side. "You're going to be great. You're going to dance with some guy and..." Liam stopped and looked away. He was going to say that that guy would probably kiss Niall, but it was a bit awkward to say that.   
  
"I can't believe you're going with me. You're such a good friend." Niall told him with a smile. "I don't even know if this is what I want."   
  
"Well," Liam said, putting an arm around his friend, "I'm going to help you figure out what you want. Let's go get you a guy or something."   
  
  
  
When they got to Rush, one of the few 18+ gay clubs in New York City, they weren't let in right away. They were told to wait on a line for a little bit, and that suited Liam just fine. But Niall was bouncy and excited, and Liam even caught him checking out the other guys on the line. It was okay, though. Liam was alright if he looked away.   
  
And then the most awkward moment of Liam's life happened. And he'd had  _a lot_  of awkward moments.   
  
"Guys, what is this place?"   
  
He turned to the side to find Zayn standing outside of the ropes, staring at them like they were aliens or something.   
  
"Oh. Hi Zayn." Liam said nervously.   
  
That caught Niall's attention. He turned and saw Zayn and muttered, "Shit."   
  
"What is this?" Zayn gestured to the whole building. "There are mostly guys on this line."   
  
Liam and Niall exchanged a look, and Liam basically tried to communicate with his eyes that Niall should tell him what was going on. But instead, Niall asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you were gonna Skype with Bex."   
  
"She went to sleep early. So I followed you to see what you were up to. What is this place?" Zayn repeated for the second time.   
  
"It's a gay club." Niall blurted out. There was actual  _terror_  in his eyes. Liam thought it was interesting that Niall hadn't looked nearly as scared to tell him as he was to tell Zayn.   
  
"What? You guys are gay?" Zayn looked from Niall to Liam and then back. "You're gay so you came to a gay club?"   
  
"Liam is just here for moral support." Niall told Zayn honestly. "I don't know what I am. I'm trying to figure it out."   
  
"Oh." Zayn said. He looked up at the blinking sign for Rush. "Okay." Then, "Mind if I tag along?"   
  
"But you're not gay." Niall said. Liam almost chuckled. Captain Obvious, that boy was.   
  
"No, I'm not." Zayn agreed. "But I can support you as well. And Liam is going to need some company when you're off dancing with dudes."   
  
Neither of them could object to that. Luckily they were last on the line, so Zayn just walked around and got on the line with them. Liam had to admit, he did feel better about this now, but part of him couldn't help feeling strangely disappointed. He hardly ever got to hang out with just Niall. Harry and Louis hung out, he and Zayn had hung out, but Niall recently had hung out with everyone alone but him. Still, Niall looked nervous and excited, and it made Liam smile a bit. Niall's excitement was sort of endearing.   
  
After awhile of waiting on the line, they were finally let inside. Liam was surprised by how small the club actually was. Okay, it wasn't  _tiny_ , but it  _was_  pretty compact. He spotted places to sit down amongst all the dancing, so that was alright. He could get through this.   
  
"What am I supposed to do now?" Niall asked, taking in the club and all the gay couples dancing, "It's not like we can get drinks. This is weird, let's just go back to the hotel."   
  
"No way. You made Liam come here." Zayn protested with an eyeroll. "Go find some guy to dance with. Look," he gestured ahead to some twenty-something hipster. "That guy is staring at you. Go ask him to dance."  
  
Zayn was right. The guy  _was_  staring at Niall. Liam, in turn, stared at the guy. At least until he realized that he was unintentionally glaring. Well, he rationalized, he couldn't help it. He wanted to make sure that Niall knew what he was getting into. The message he was sending to the guy was basically,  _Treat my mate right or get lost._    
  
Liam drew in a deep breath and turned to Niall. "You should go ask him to dance."   
  
Niall gave him a hesitant look, and before he could chicken out, walked toward the guy and started chatting with him. Liam turned to Zayn. "Well then."   
  
Zayn shrugged. "Let's get water or something and sit down."   
  
Liam admired how well Zayn handled himself in a place like this. He was comfortable enough in his sexuality that he didn't care where he was or who he was around. Liam wished he could be that confident. It wasn't as if he was  _gay_  or anything, but he still couldn't help feeling awkward. He resisted glancing at Niall and the guy, who had begun dancing, and followed Zayn over so that they could get some water. When they got their beverages, they found somewhere to sit and just take in the sight. Guys were dancing with guys  _everywhere_. Liam wondered just how he'd found himself in a place like this. Well, he  _knew_ , but he wouldn't have imagined it a year ago.   
  
A year after he had performed on the X Factor, he was hanging out in a gay club with two of his best friends. It was ridiculous.   
  
He looked around, suddenly wondering if people thought that he and Zayn were a couple.   
  
"You keep staring at Niall and that guy." Zayn pointed out. "Don't worry, he can take care of himself."   
  
"I know." Liam hadn't even realized he'd been staring. He glanced away and faced Zayn. "Don't you think it's weird that Niall wanted to come here? It seems weird to me."   
  
Zayn gave him a confused look. "It's not weird. He wants to meet guys, right?"   
  
"But it's not like he's ever going to see them again, and..." He drifted off, looking down at his drink. "Sorry."   
  
"You're uncomfortable."   
  
A lot of their fans wouldn't think of Zayn as perceptive. He was the one who did ridiculous things and then sit back and let the aftermath of those things just unfold. When he and Rebecca had come out as a couple, he'd let Rebecca give the interview and said absolutely nothing. He had just acted and made appearances with her. He was also the vain one, so most fans probably wouldn't think Zayn was that deep. But he could be at times. He could read the rest of them really well, even if he wasn't very obvious about it.   
  
Liam nodded. "It's not like I'm homophobic. You know that. I mean, what's the point in that?"   
  
"Mhm." Zayn acknowledged. That was his usual prompt for Liam to tell him more.   
  
But Liam  _couldn't_  tell him anymore. So he guessed. "Maybe the fact that it's Niall. Maybe... I want more for him than this. I mean, nothing is wrong with this, but... I don't know."   
  
He had never felt so inarticulate in his life.   
  
  
  
  
"Hey, what's your name?" asked the guy, leering at Niall. Niall guessed he was trying to be seductive and laughed it off awkwardly, though the guy probably thought he was giggling to flirt with him.   
  
"Niall." he told him, pronouncing his name like  _Neil_. Because he really didn't think that giving a stranger his actual name was a good idea, not when they were getting more relatively well-known in the states. "You?"   
  
"Blue."   
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
"Just call me Blue."   
  
At that, Niall turned to see if he could find his friends. Just to know that they were there if he needed to get away from this "Blue" guy. But they had wandered off somewhere. Niall's nerves dramatically increased when he couldn't find them with a quick search around the room. It was packed.   
  
"Oh. Alright. What do you do... Blue?"   
  
"I read and write poetry."   
  
"Oh." Was this guy for real? Niall knew immediately that he wouldn't hit it off with him. If he had a guy type, Blue wasn't it. He smiled politely anyway. "That's cool. I sing."   
  
Blue took that as an opportunity to tell Niall about all of the songs that he'd written. As Blue recited dark, angsty lyrics from memory, Niall zoned out a bit, wondering where Liam and Zayn were, and what they were talking about.   
  
He thought about how he'd told Sean and Scott that maybe, sort of, he might be into guys. He'd been drunk one night and just blurted it out. Luckily, they were both nice about it, and drunkenly admitted that out of the band, they'd thought it would either he him or Liam that would be gay, even though Niall was pretty sure that a few of Harry's past tweets were pretty ambiguous. Maybe he thought that because he didn't want to be the only one that was different, though.   
  
Blue asked him to dance, and Niall agreed, mostly to be nice. After a few dances, they took a break and Niall finally found Liam and Zayn sitting at one of the tables. Zayn looked bored, but Liam was watching him like a hawk. Usually Niall wouldn't take too kindly to being watched that intensely but he actually appreciated it. Liam was a little protective and probably just as annoyed by Blue as Niall was.   
  
Niall smiled at him, mostly to say thank you.   
  
Liam smiled back.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
  
  
"Find anything?" Louis asked. He sat on the bed alone in the hotel room he shared with Harry. It felt strange that everyone else was out, but it was alright because this was necessary. Usually he went out with the guys (though Harry couldn't go to many places, as he was under eighteen) or went out to do his job. It was a bit nice though, having some peace and quiet. He was loud sometimes, but often they could all get a little too rowdy. Even he could admit that.   
  
"I'm looking at our databases, but your fans keep tweeting me!" Hannah told him, laughing. "They keep asking me about how you're doing in New York and when you're coming back, by the way."   
  
Louis shrugged, though she couldn't see it over the phone. "It's safest not to tell them. We don't want Niall to cry at the airport like he did that one time."   
  
"Definitely not. Alright, I don't know what to tell you, Lou. It could be a coincidence." she said. He heard the sound of her typing in the background. "But I have to admit, it sounds weird."   
  
"Seriously," Louis agreed. "I don't know what to make of it. I don't think he believed me when I said nothing attacked me. I mean, nothing  _did_ , but it could have looked that way to someone who doesn't know."   
  
"You know, you could have avoided all of this if you hadn't let yourself be seen."   
  
He was fully aware, but he smiled anyway. He'd kind of missed the banter between them, because they didn't talk nearly as often now. They were still friends, and some of the fans were convinced that they were still together because Hannah still talked about him on Twitter all the time, since the fans always asked her about him. Some of the fans expected them to be angry and bitter if the breakup was real, but the truth was that they would always have fond memories of the time they were together. It just wasn't enough, though. "I know, I know. Breaking and entering without being invisible was a mistake. I think I was just over-excited because no one really recognized me. Except Harry."   
  
"I think you need to ask Harry why it affected him so much. I mean, clearly he couldn't stand to see you hurt, but there has to be more. He only said  _monster things_?"   
  
"Well, he doesn't know what they are. He doesn't know what we do or what we face." Louis reminded her. "I mean, if he knew that  _those_  were what ghosts can turn into, and that they were real, he'd never let me out of his sight again."   
  
Not to mention that he couldn't even do much when he faced them. He certainly couldn't do the job he was  _supposed_ to do. Mostly he had just meant to get them to back off, since they were freaking out everyone else who lived on that street. When Adrian had called him, asking him to do the job, he'd been absolutely thrown. But apparently the one who tracked ghosts in L.A. had been sick and he couldn't get in touch with anyone else.   
  
"Even if he knew that wasn't what you do?"   
  
"It's all dangerous." he said. He opened up his computer and logged onto the internet, resting his phone on his shoulder. He checked his mentions on Twitter and nearly sighed. "Are the fans tweeting you about Harry as well?"   
  
"I didn't want to mention it." Hannah admitted.   
  
Some fans were actually asking  _him_  about the girl Harry had just followed on Twitter a few minutes ago. He went to Harry's profile and tried to view the girl's Twitter, only to find that it was locked. The only thing he could see was her picture, name, location, and background. But she was beautiful. Of course the fans were jealous. He kind of wondered about her himself. Her location  _was_  New York City. Had he actually gone out to see a girl? Not that it was his business, but had Harry actually lied to him about it? Usually they admitted everything about this stuff to each other, not that Louis had had that much to tell lately.   
  
It actually kind of  _hurt_  that he hadn't told him. He hadn't expected it to affect him so much.   
  
"Louis?"   
  
"Sorry," he said, making his voice less solemn than he felt, "Why are they asking us?"   
  
"Because you're Harry's best friend," she said gently. "Who clearly isn't happy about this."   
  
"About what? He does this all the time." And it was true. Harry was what he was, and made no apologies for who he was. But Louis knew all that stuff was just casual or temporary. Louis was confident that he was one of the only constants in Harry's life. "The fans will calm down. They always do this."   
  
"That's true. Okay, Louis, I have to go to bed. But I'll tell you if I find anything."   
  
"Thanks, Han. You're the best."   
  
"I know." she said. He knew she was smiling at that. "Bye, Lou."   
  
When they hung up, he smiled. He was proud of the way they had remained friends. It was really a pity that they were much better at being work partners than actual romantic partners.   
  
He checked his mentions again. Two hundred new questions for him about Harry.   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
When Harry opened the hotel room door, he found Louis sitting on his bed, playing on the computer. Louis looked up and Harry smiled at him as he closed the door and threw aside his jacket, tossing it on top of his suitcase. "Hey, mate. Wild night on the computer?"   
  
Louis gave him a half-hearted shrug. "Guess so. Wild night out?"   
  
Louis actually sounded like he meant that. Harry stared down at him, confused. "I told you, I was going to see family friends. I went to their flat and we had dinner."   
  
"Some fans have been tweeting me obsessively about you following this girl." Louis told him, his voice strange. "Did you lie to me? Did you meet up with her?"   
  
"Um," Harry wasn't sure how to respond to that. Why did Louis care if he met up with some girl, anyway? And how would he even have made those plans? He barely knew anyone here. "She's the daughter of the family friend." He knew he should have been smarter about who he followed on Twitter. Whenever he followed a pretty girl on that website, the fans freaked out. "What, are you jealous?" he teased, expecting Louis to laugh at that.   
  
But Louis wasn't amused. At all. "You just need to be careful."   
  
"Do I?" Harry wondered if Louis meant that he had to be careful of  _him_. Playing dumb, he said, "Louis, don't worry. I know some fans are obsessive. I can take care of myself."   
  
Louis looked like he wanted to say something else, but thought better of it. It was rare to see Louis so frustrated, and despite the fact that Louis might be dangerous, his heart went out to his best friend. He looked so upset that Harry just wanted to hug him. So he decided that would be a good idea. He had to show that he wasn't suspicious of him. And oddly enough, he didn't feel afraid, even if Louis might be a vampire or something. No matter what, he was still Louis.   
  
He sat next to Louis and pulled him into a hug without giving Louis any warning. Harry could sometimes tell what other people were feeling when he got close to them, and he felt Louis grow calmer as he gave in to the hug. Despite the fact that neither of them knew what was going on, hugs were always something that would make Louis happy.   
  
As he pulled away, they exchanged a smile, a bit cheeky, but entirely sincere.   
  
Harry knew he had to ask Louis what he was, but that could wait.   
  
"Did you even eat?" Harry asked Louis suddenly. "You've been here all night, yeah?"   
  
Louis shook his head. "Well, I had some crisps."   
  
Harry stood up and grabbed his jacket from the top of his suitcase. He was grateful that they were in New York City; there would be plenty of places to choose from that were open all night. "You didn't even order room service? Grab your jacket, mate. Let's go get you some food."   
  
Louis closed his laptop and rolled off the bed, standing up lazily. He stepped into his Toms, which were right beside the bed. "A jacket? Come on, Styles. You know me better than that."


	4. Chapter 4

"I think it's a terrible idea."   
  
Liam sat with Niall and Zayn in a small restaurant a few nights after they returned to London. They had decided that they needed to have a talk about Niall's situation, and it turned out that Zayn had  _ideas_. For some  _weird reason_  he had been thinking about Niall's possible homosexuality or bisexuality or whatever it was. After going out to that gay club had pretty much failed, Niall wasn't sure what to do. Liam had tried to comfort him about it, give him a pep talk, but Niall kept changing the subject.  
  
But now, two days after they had flown back to the U.K. in secret, they were sitting here in this empty restaurant, talking about the situation again. Zayn had just suggested something absolutely  _ridiculous_ , and Liam had no problem telling him that. But Zayn didn't look discouraged at all, mostly because Niall actually looked interested in the idea.   
  
"You guys. You know Niall can't do this." Liam said, "He  _can't_."   
  
Niall then glanced at him, his eyes wide. Liam suddenly felt guilty, because the last thing he wanted was to see Niall - or any of his boys - sad. Niall's look was more inquiry than anything, though. "Why can't I?"   
  
"Yeah, Liam, why can't he?" Zayn chimed in. "Why can't he join a gay dating website?"   
  
"Are you  _serious_?" Liam asked, throwing out his arms to show his frustration. "Because he's a celebrity!"   
  
"I'm a celebrity and I danced with guys at Rush," Niall reminded him, "Which was weird, by the way. I can't believe Blue asked me to see him again and actually looked mad when I said no. He writes bad songs and  _his name is Blue_."   
  
In spite of himself, Liam chuckled at that. "Yeah. Okay. You went to Rush. But that was in New York City, where you can blend in. Pretty much everyone knows us here, Niall. If you met some guy through the website, they would know who you are."   
  
"Not if I don't post a picture and put my real information." Niall said with a small smile. "Or I could take a picture and distort it so much that it doesn't look like me. Be mysterious."   
  
"But if you don't put a real picture, guys aren't going to be interested." Really, Liam had no idea, but that sounded about right. Mostly he didn't want Niall to do anything to put himself in a situation he might regret later. He wished there was an easier way for Niall to figure out what his sexuality was. "I mean, what's the point if it's all fake?"   
  
"It's not like I'm looking for someone to marry, Liam. I'm  _eighteen_. It's for  _fun_." Niall informed him. "Talking to a guy online with a fake name isn't going to do anything. And if I happen to meet up with someone-"   
  
" _What?_  Are you crazy, Niall? Meet up with someone? You can't."   
  
"If I meet someone fun that I want to be with, why not?" Niall shrugged, exchanging a grin with Zayn.   
  
Liam was absolutely speechless. There were so many things that came to mind. First of all, he was Niall Bloody Horan, and he was  _famous_. If he met up with someone untrustworthy, then that person could tell the world he met Niall through a gay dating website. Maybe no one would believe him, but Niall wasn't really good at lying about this sort of thing. He would turn red and then laugh uncontrollably if anyone asked him. And under  _any other circumstances_  that would make Liam smile.  
  
"You are  _famous_." Liam insisted. He knew that it was pointless arguing, though. Zayn had used to flirt with girls online all the time, so it didn't surprise him that he'd suggested this. And it didn't surprise Liam that Niall was eager to try any strategy. "You  _can't_."   
  
Niall shrugged. "I'm gonna do it."   
  
Liam sighed and slumped in his chair, defeated. Why did Niall insist on doing these things? "Fine."   
  
A few minutes later, Niall got up to use the bathroom, and Zayn turned to Liam a minute after that with that critical, all-knowing look in his eyes. In a concerned voice, he said, "Could you be any more jealous?"   
  
" _What_? Shut up." Liam said. Then he immediately felt bad about saying that to his best friend. "Sorry. But I'm not."   
  
Zayn shrugged as if to tell him  _whatever you say_ , and then looked toward the bathroom in time to see Niall emerge. Liam looked away and focused on the napkin dispenser. It was suddenly very interesting.   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
  
Harry had decided to go home for a few days. They had a few gigs and appearances coming up, but nothing for the next two days. Harry thought it was a perfect opportunity to talk to his mum and sister in person. Though right now he sat in his room and he hadn't actually gotten the courage to do it. He knew he had very little time to talk to the both of them, though, because Gemma was only home while Harry was.   
  
He got off of Twitter and wandered downstairs, finding his mum and sister talking in the living room. They looked up and smiled when he came in, and he sat down on the couch. "So, yeah. Louis."   
  
"We're not sure what's going on, hon." his mum said. "But we're trying to find out."   
  
"In New York they said that Louis could be some supernatural creature. He could be  _shapeshifter_. And, I'm sorry, but why do we not find out that all those things exist until we turn eighteen? Wouldn't it be safer to be taught right away?"   
  
"We don't make the rules." said his mum. "But I do agree."   
  
"Oh." Harry had expected that he would have to put up more of an argument, but was relieved that she agreed with him. "Do you think he's... something?"   
  
"Didn't you say Dusty doesn't like him?" Gemma asked. Harry nodded. That was probably their biggest clue. If Louis wasn't threatening to some degree, their cat would take to him like she took to everyone else. "Then yeah, he's something."   
  
"Harry, I hate to say this, but you might have to... do something. To find out what he is." His mum told him. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "I know, I told you not to invade people's privacy. But he could be dangerous."  
  
"He's  _Louis_ , Mum." Harry reminded her. "He's not dangerous."   
  
" _You_  could be dangerous." Gemma said. "It depends on how someone views their abilities."   
  
"Gemma's right, hon. Anyone supernatural has that potential. Fortunately, Louis most likely  _not_  dangerous. But if he's in  _danger_ , like you thought he was in that dream, then we will have to protect him."   
  
Harry sighed. How was he going to figure out if Louis was supernatural? If he asked Louis about it and he was wrong, then Louis would think he was crazy. He knew he would have to use a charm to do it. This time he would have to spy on Louis on purpose. He just hoped the dream thing ended up happening again, it wasn't in a dangerous situation this time. He knew there were better and easier ways to figure out the answer, though. He  _would_  have to use divination on Louis, wouldn't he?   
  
But he was  _Louis_. He wasn't afraid of Louis, and he knew he could ask him. The problem was that his family was scared for him. Well, his mum and his sister were, and if his step-dad knew what was going on, then he would be worried for Harry as well. As far as Harry knew, they hadn't clued him in on the subject. The most he knew was that they had magic abilities. He respectfully stayed out of it most of the time.  
  
Harry's mind wandered back to Louis. All he really wanted to do was talk to him. Not even about all this weird stuff, but about anything. Anything so that they could prove to themselves that everything was alright.   
  
Instead, he walked back up to his room and texted Vanessa about the talk he'd just had. He knew that the fans had kind of freaked out when he followed her that night in New York, but he'd done it because it was a good way to keep in touch. Now he couldn't go on any social networking website without seeing rumors that he'd slept with Vanessa. He'd talked to her about it and she didn't care. Mostly she ignored rumors and blocked anyone that bothered her. Still, most of the time they messaged about magic and stuff over DM.   
  
He kept thinking about what Louis had said when he had returned. He'd acted a little weird about it, but then just told him he had to be careful. He replayed the conversation again and again. He kept seeing Louis' face as he asked Harry if he was lying. There had been actual  _sadness_  in his eyes before Harry had decided to hug him. It had seemed to ease Louis' fear that Harry had been lying, at least for a little while.   
  
As if she knew what he was thinking about, Vanessa asked how things were with Louis. She had this habit of asking after Louis and  _then_  the other guys, as if they were Larry Stylinson first and then part of the band second. He hadn't asked her about it because it would be awkward, but she was probably one of those people who paired them up. Oh well, there was no harm in that. Almost everyone did it.  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Louis walked down the hallway with Hannah, not sure what he would say when he finally came face-to-face with Adrian. He knew that he had to do it, but he really didn't want to. He didn't want Harry to get mixed up in any of his messes. Well, at least not the supernatural messes. Any others, and that was fine. This, however, was different. Still, this meeting was  _all about Harry_. Not that his best mate had any idea. He was home right now, as was Louis. The other boys were still in London and hadn't seemed to mind so much that they would be left on their own. In fact, those three had been acting a little secretive lately. Louis vowed that he and Harry would corner them when they got back to London.   
  
"You ready for this?" Hannah asked, glancing at him from the side. She smiled in an encouraging, friendly way that still comforted him. In a more platonic way than anything.   
  
Louis tried to smile back. "I have no idea what to say. I just want to know what he thinks about this. Since we couldn't find anything in the databases."   
  
She was quiet and looked thoughtful. What he liked about that was that she didn't say it was probably nothing. Because he knew it wasn't nothing. Things were getting stranger, and no one was about to deny that.   
  
When they knocked on the door, Adrian called them in and they opened the door tentatively. Adrian, a greying man in his late sixties, waved them closer to his desk. Louis and Hannah exchanged a look and sat in the chairs available.   
  
"Well," Adrian said, leaning forward and placing his head on his hands. "Tell me what's up?"   
  
"Harry dreamed about what actually happened to me." Louis blurted out. "When I went to that house in L.A. He saw me. He saw the ghosts. But he called them monsters."   
  
"Well, they would look like monsters to him." Adrian said calmly. "I know you did what I asked you to. What did you reveal to Harry?"   
  
"Harry thought it was a nightmare. I think." He looked at Hannah, unsure. "Things have been weird the past few days. I think he thought it was a nightmare, but I also think he didn't believe me."   
  
"He would have no reason to not believe you unless he was supernatural." said Adrian. "It sounds like he is."   
  
 _What?_  There was no way that could be. Why would Adrian even suggest that? When he looked at Harry, he didn't see what he faced every day. He saw his best mate. He saw someone with a dirty smile who laughed at his jokes even when they weren't that funny. He would know. He would have recognized him. "No. He's not. He would have told me."   
  
"Believe it or not, Louis," Adrian leaned back in his chair now. The way he conducted himself reminded Louis of Simon Cowell, strangely enough. In another universe, maybe they would have been best friends. Or bitter rivals. "Supernaturals keep their abilities hidden from people who aren't like them. Every supernatural has its own community of people like them that they can communicate with. Even ghosts. But outside of their communities, they don't reveal themselves."   
  
"Harry is my best mate. He's the person I'm closest with out of, well, everyone," He shot an apologetic look to Hannah, but she didn't look surprised by this information. "If he was a supernatural, he would tell me."   
  
Adrian raised his eyebrows. It was clear he didn't believe him, but Louis didn't care. He  _knew_  Harry. And even though he'd freaked out a little when Harry had gone off to his "family friend's" flat, he trusted Harry. And he was pretty sure that Harry trusted him enough that he wouldn't hide something like this from him. Even if he wasn't supposed to tell him. It wasn't like they  _ever_ paid attention to the rules, so why should this be any different?   
  
"You haven't told him what you are." Adrian pointed out. "Not that I'm advising you do so, because many don't understand, but it does go both ways, Louis."   
  
Louis looked away. It was true that he hadn't been honest with Harry, but that was mostly for Harry's own good. And Adrian knew that, so Louis wasn't sure why he had brought that up.   
  
"What should I do?" Louis asked. Though he knew the answer.   
  
"Find out what he knows and who he might be. One way or another."   
  
Yup, that was exactly what Louis had thought he would say. "Alright." he replied. Because he couldn't say much else in response. When Adrian gave an order, you followed through with it. One way or another.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"I don't know, just put what you're interested in." Liam said. He sat beside Niall as he entered his information into the gay dating website they'd found. Niall had compromised with him after a few hours and decided to join this one because it was entirely anonymous. It was like Omegle but with more detail and less douchebaggery (at least, Liam hoped). Niall was still able to create a profile, but there was no picture and no name. Just interests and a description of his looks. That was safe enough, Liam had decided.   
  
Then, of course, they had actually gone on the website and read all about their success stories. Success stories? From an  _anonymous_  website? Liam couldn't back down from his promise to help, though. So he sat next to Niall as Niall tried to figure out what he was interested in. He'd listed sports and food so far.  
  
"Should I list singing?" Niall asked him.   
  
Liam gave an apathetic shrug. "Yeah. No one knows it's you."   
  
And Niall probably wouldn't even have the time to keep up with this website, Liam told himself. So there was no harm in this. He reasoned with himself enough until he figured that this wouldn't really go anywhere.   
  
It wasn't like he didn't want Niall to be happy. It was just that... this was weird.   
  
"How does my profile look?" Niall asked, smiling at the computer. Liam glanced at the computer, but then at Niall's little grin. He knew he should be supportive. He would  _absolutely not_  cause Niall to stop laughing and smiling. He wouldn't shoot down the ideas anymore, no matter how bad they were. All he wanted was for his friend to be happy. And to prove Zayn wrong.   
  
"Looks good." Liam told him, his eyes never leaving Niall's face.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
They had all just finished eating when the phone rang. Louis sprang up from his seat and got it, just in case it was Adrian. He hadn't told his family what had happened yet, though he knew he would have to tell his mum sooner or later. He would accidentally let her know one day or Adrian would tell her. Or someone else who worked in that building, maybe.   
  
"Hello?"   
  
"Oh hello, Louis!" Harry's mum said happily on the other end of the line. "How are you?"   
  
Louis mouthed that it was Anne to his own mum and she immediately perked right up. The two women were the best of friends and had been since they had all been on the X Factor. "I'm good. And how are you?"   
  
"Great! Is your mum there? I feel like I haven't chatted with her in forever."   
  
Louis gave the phone to his mother, and then he and his sisters scattered everywhere. He went up to his room to check what was up in the wonderful Internet world. He saw that Twitter was relatively calm, which was a relief. No scandals today  _yet_. He logged onto Skype and found that Harry was online. Instantly, he pressed the button to ring him.   
  
Harry's face appeared moments later. They smiled at each other and figured out if they could hear each other, which they needed to do every time they used Skype because there were times when it would barely work, even though they both had fairly decent internet connections.   
  
"Our mums are chatting." Louis said, though he was sure Harry knew.   
  
And like Louis thought he would, Harry nodded. "I believe the word is  _mumance_ ," he said with a bit of a chuckle. "How are you, mate? Ready to get back to work?"   
  
Louis said, "Yeah, of course. Think the boys are up to no good right now?"   
  
"Yeah, I bet." Harry replied, grinning. "They're probably throwing a party and there's probably a bunch of naked girls dancing on our dining room table."   
  
Louis shrieked with mock surprise and Harry just laughed again. Louis smiled because despite the fact that he would have to talk to Harry about all the important stuff when they got back, things were alright. It was nice to hear Harry laugh, even just for a moment. He suddenly became ridiculously happy for some reason, and didn't even realize that Harry had been staring at him intensely for a few seconds. That would probably make him uncomfortable... if it wasn't Harry.   
  
"How was your day?" Harry asked suddenly.   
  
"It was good. I mostly hung out with Hannah." Louis answered. At least that was partially true. They  _had_  hung out for most of the day, actually. After their meeting with Adrian, Hannah had spent a good amount of time trying to calm Louis down, even though he wasn't outwardly freaking out. Mostly because Adrian scared the crap out of him and he realized that he would have to spy on Harry. What reason did Harry have to trust him now? If Harry was doing the same, spying on  _him_ , Louis would probably be put off by it. Not only that, but what if Harry turned out to be supernatural? That meant that Harry already didn't trust him, didn't it? He hoped that Harry  _was_  human, just to prove Adrian wrong.   
  
Harry's eyes widened. "Oh, are you back with her?"   
  
Louis studied Harry's face then. He gave Louis an awkward look, though that was strange because Harry and Hannah had always gotten along. Though that strange look disappeared in just a few seconds. Louis shook his head just to reassure Harry. "No, we just hang out as friends. We talk all the time, actually."   
  
"Oh, I didn't know that."   
  
"Yeah. But it's no big deal. Like I said, just friends. Speaking of, I saw some stuff online about you and that girl. You should probably tell her to keep her Facebook hidden."   
  
"Vanessa? Yeah. Alright." Harry nodded. "Though she shouldn't have to do all this. You know, sometimes our fans are insane."   
  
"You're just figuring this out?" Louis asked jokingly. He noticed that unlike him, Harry hadn't denied anything. When did Harry start not telling him stuff? "They've been insane since the moment we appeared on TV. I blame your curls."   
  
"I blame carrots."   
  
Louis had to snicker at that. A year later and some fans  _still_  joked about carrots. When he'd said that, he hadn't even meant for it to get that far. He had a feeling that it would haunt him for years. He could already see the future jokes about it. When he got married, if he did, the fans would talk about him only serving carrots at the wedding. Some would say his kids would be half-carrot as well.   
  
"I blame the lovechild of the carrots and curls." Louis continued, even though he knew that made no sense. Still, that sent Harry into a fit of laughter. He seemed much happier now. It was no wonder that so many fans thought they were gay together when they said things like that.   
  
"Well that settles that." Harry said, calming down after a minute. "I have to go in a sec. But I'll talk to you later, alright?"   
  
Louis nodded. "Yeah, definitely."   
  
"Bye."   
  
There was something missing from the conversation, but Louis thought it would be way too cheesy to tell Harry he loved him. After all, they were guys, and they actually  _weren't_  gay together. But Harry looked uncertain as well. They never knew how to say goodbye to each other. Louis didn't mean to, and he knew Harry couldn't tell, but he scanned Harry's face quickly. Not suspiciously, but just to look at him. Just for a moment, because he didn't want to get sappy or anything. Before he clicked out of the conversation, he said, "Alright, see ya, mate."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Niall couldn't believe that he had five replies! Especially on an anonymous website. As soon as he saw his replies, he sprang up from his seat and ran downstairs. He found Liam and Zayn arguing over the song they were trying to compose. They had promised to show it to Niall later, but right now they weren't getting anything done. Zayn wanted the song to be one way, and Liam wanted it to be another. Liam pointed out that the song had to work for the rest of them as well, and Zayn said that it would if Liam listened to him. Judging from their conversation Niall figured he wasn't interrupting much.   
  
"Guess what, guys!" Niall exclaimed. "I got  _five_  replies."   
  
"That's cool, mate," Zayn said, genuinely happy for him.   
  
Liam, however, looked surprised. Maybe a little annoyed, which confused Niall a bit. "Five? On a site where you don't even post your picture?"   
  
"Yeah." Niall nodded eagerly. "They're all interested in talking to me and they're not using their names either. So I can get to know them before-"   
  
"Before what?" Liam asked, "Remember, you can't actually do anything about this."   
  
Zayn reached over and smacked Liam on the arm. Liam rubbed the spot Zayn had hit, looking away. Niall looked back and forth from Zayn to Liam. He knew that the both of them wanted what was best for him, but maybe, just maybe, they were hiding something. Liam was still looking away in that awkward way of his that Niall secretly thought was cute, and Zayn flashed Liam a smirk that he couldn't see, and then turned back to Niall. "Yeah, that's really cool. Tell us about them."   
  
As Niall described the five guys that had responded to his profile, he kind of studied Liam and Zayn. Zayn was definitely glad, but something was off about how Liam was acting. He was trying to be happy for Niall, but it was like he couldn't be for some reason.   
  
And that kind of hurt. He wanted Liam to at least  _smile_  and not give him the blank look he was giving him now. Not just so that he could show he was happy for Niall, but because Liam's smile was nice. His eyes were, too. And the rest of his face.   
  
Niall realized he'd been staring, so  _he_  looked away now. The conversation had suddenly gotten awkward, but Zayn didn't seem to notice. He began talking about which of the guys who had replied to Niall sounded like douchebags and which ones were worth a shot. But Niall was barely listening now. His face grew warm, because  _he'd been staring at Liam_  and that was just what Liam didn't want him to do. In fact, Liam had made it pretty damn clear when Niall had first told him about all of this that he didn't want Niall to fancy him.   
  
But it wasn't like that could stop it from happening.   
  
Because right now, it wasn't the thought of talking to those faceless guys that was making Niall blush. It was the fact that he'd been staring at Liam and he'd liked it a little too much.   
  
 _Damn it._  He was really going to have to deal with that. Fix it.  _Something_. At least he had some random guys to talk to, take his mind off of this random crush thing he might be developing. He could probably stop this before it started. In fact, he knew he could.   
  
"Are you going to tell Harry and Louis?" Zayn suddenly asked.   
  
Niall really wasn't sure about that. His plan had been to only tell Liam and keep it their secret for awhile. But now it just seemed unfair that more than half the band knew and it wasn't the two guys who were always thought to be the One Direction couple (without actually being one) anyway. Still, he was scared to tell them. He'd been scared to tell everyone he'd already told. "I don't know. I guess. It's hard to tell people, you know?"   
  
Both of his friends nodded sympathetically. Niall's gaze drifted to Liam's face specifically, but he caught himself.   
  
Not staring was going to be hard work.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry wasn't sure if it was an actual dream or if it was real. He'd closed his eyes and a few minutes later, he opened them and he was standing in Louis' house. Louis' twin sisters were playing in the living room, but their mum was trying to get them to go to bed. Harry raised his eyebrows. Had he done it again? He walked over to them to see if he  _was_  invisible.   
  
He said "hi" and nobody noticed. Nobody looked toward him. Yep, he was invisible again. And this  _felt_  real, like the other dream he'd had.   
  
Luckily, this didn't phase him. He knew what he had to do if this ever happened again. He immediately took off for Louis' room.   
  
When he got there, Louis wasn't in his room, but the light was on. Harry had a feeling that Louis had just stepped out or something, not giving him much opportunity to look around. He glanced at the different sections of his best mate's room; he wasn't sure where to start. His eyes settled on Louis' suitcase and he walked over to it. He reached out to open it, but his hand passed right through the piece of luggage.   
  
Crap. He couldn't touch anything. He couldn't find out anything this way unless he listened in on Louis' conversations or something.   
  
Or unless he left anything laying about, any evidence. Just...  _anything_.   
  
He began to walk about the room, but it was pretty normal. Messy and about what he expected Louis' room to look like on any normal day. He'd seen Louis' room for real before, but this wasn't different. He wasn't supposed to be here.   
  
There was nothing. Nothing on the beside table. Nothing on the floor. Nothing on the dresser. Nothing in the open wardrobe that told him anything. He sighed with frustration in time to hear the door close behind him.   
  
Harry jumped and saw Louis. Dripping wet with a green towel around his waist. Harry felt his eyes widen and he pinched himself, trying to wake up. But it didn't work. And obviously he couldn't open the door because he couldn't touch anything. He suddenly remembered he hadn't even  _tried_  to touch anything in the last dream. Louis had left the door of that house open for a minute before closing it, giving Harry enough time to walk in. Why hadn't he bothered to touch anything?   
  
He turned away as Louis slipped the towel off and dried his with it a bit. Harry could tell what Louis' movements were without even looking at him. Harry wasn't sure why he cared; they'd seen each other without clothes on plenty of times. But this was different. He didn't really have Louis' permission to be here. And Louis was fucking  _naked_.   
  
Then he got a really stupid idea. He wanted to prove to himself that it wasn't really a big deal. After all, he was a guy and Louis was a guy, and it wasn't a problem because they were friends and saw each other naked all the time. Plus he was wasting time while he could be looking around the room. Slowly he turned around.   
  
Bad idea.   
  
Because Louis was  _naked_. And it wasn't even just that. His hair was sticking up everywhere and Harry wanted to laugh and fix it, smooth it down or something. If he was visible and Louis was wearing clothes, he would have. He figured it wouldn't be a big deal if he looked at Louis, just for a second, just to prove to himself that this was  _not_  a big deal.   
  
His eyes drifted down, and as soon as they'd reached Louis' knees, his eyes shot back up to Louis' face. Louis had dropped his towel completely and was standing there,  _naked_ , holding his phone. He made some annoyed face at his phone, pressed a few buttons, and then held the phone up to his ear. A few seconds later, he said, "Hey, Han. No, just calling to say hi. Also, like... what am I supposed to do?" He listened for a moment and bit his lip. "Yeah, but you know I don't want to. I gave it more thought. Adrian  _has_  to be wrong."   
  
Adrian. Harry made a mental note to search for anything about some person named Adrian. Though it wasn't  _that_  uncommon a name. Still, any connection between Louis and Adrian would provide some answers, he was sure of it.   
  
Harry blinked, staring at Louis again. Louis, his  _best friend_  was actually hiding something from him. He'd known already, obviously, but these dreams just reinforced the fact. His eyes involuntarily drifted downwards, just for a second. Only to... well, Harry didn't know. It didn't matter. He stumbled backwards when he heard someone calling him.   
  
It was his sister's voice.   
  
  
  
He closed his eyes and when they opened them he was staring up at Gemma. She was standing over him but kneeled on the floor when she realized he was awake. He blinked, his vision becoming clearer. "Hi."   
  
She raised her eyebrows at him. One look at her told Harry that she'd looked in on his dream. She smirked. "You're such a perv, H."   
  
Harry sat up, immediately defensive. "I didn't even mean to do that! That's what's going on right now. I couldn't help getting locked in the room. I- Wait,  _you_  must have seen him as well."   
  
She laughed once, clearly amused by this. "I didn't look.  _You_  looked. You know, you can just stare at Louis' arse all the time since you live together. But you choose to stare at him in a dream?"   
  
Harry shrugged, because he really had nothing to say. He knew that Gemma wasn't saying it to criticize him and that it was just sisterly teasing. "He was just right there. I wouldn't have looked if I had other options."   
  
"Yeah. Alright." Gemma replied in a voice that told Harry she didn't believe him.   
  
Harry decided to change the subject. "Do you know anyone named Adrian?"   
  
"Nope." Gemma said, "Other than some idiot in one of my classes, but I don't think that's the person you'd be looking for."   
  
"Probably not." Harry agreed. "But at least I have one bit of information now."   
  
"Yeah and you figured out that bit while you were staring at Louis' bits." she teased, reaching up and messing his hair. Harry frowned and messed up her hair right back. She laughed. "You know, little brother, it's probably fine. Whatever's going on, Louis is probably not dangerous or scary or any of that. You shouldn't worry."  
  
"I'm not worried," Harry replied, mostly believing what he told her, "It's Louis."


	5. Chapter 5

' _Back to London today! :) Can't wait to see you @Harry_Styles @NiallOfficial @zaynmalik @Real_Liam_Payne_ '   
  
Harry grinned as he opened the door to the flat and stepped in. He looked up from his phone and looked around the entrance of the band's home. It was moderately messy, just as it had been left. No signs that there had been any recent parties with naked people dancing on the furniture.  
  
He headed to his room to drop off his suitcase. When he got there, he set the suitcase down on the bed and opened it. In one of the pockets, he kept his book of charms. He took it out quickly and put it in the drawer in his bedside table. To make sure that no one would see it, he tapped it once with his finger and concentrated, making the book invisible. As long as it stayed put, he would be able to tap it and make it visible again. It was what he always did, but now he was extra careful about it, since he wasn't sure what was going on with Louis.   
  
As if he'd heard Harry think his name, he appeared in the doorway with a loud, " _Harry!_  Hazza! My man! My darling! My curly!"   
  
Harry snickered and turned to him in time to be swept up into a hug. "Did you call me your darling?"   
  
"Yup. At least it wasn't babycakes," Louis replied, pulling back and grinning at him. Quickly he added, "babes."   
  
Then Louis reached out and pushed Harry around and backwards until he had Harry backed up against the wall. Harry blinked at him.  _This_  was definitely new. "Louis?"   
  
"Someone," Louis said with his eyebrows raised, "is hiding something."   
  
"Uh," Harry whispered, "What?"   
  
"I said, someone is hiding something." Louis repeated. Then he smiled again. "The other boys. They're hiding something."   
  
Harry let out a deep breath that he wasn't aware he'd been holding. "Oh. What d'ya think they're hiding?"   
  
"I have no clue! But we should talk to them. I'm glad that you would never hide anything from me." Louis said, his grin wide. "I hope you know that you never have to do that. You know me, I"m not judgy."   
  
Why did he say that? That was the first thing that came to Harry's mind. Why did Louis specifically say that Harry wouldn't hide anything from him? Harry just stared at his best mate, trying to appear calm, which was hard when Louis had him pinned against the wall. He was nervous, and it wasn't just because he was possibly caught in a huge lie. It was the fact that Louis was staring at him intensely and the fact that he was either extremely suspicious or very trusting.   
  
"What are you trying to say?" Harry asked, squinting at him.   
  
Louis shrugged. "Nothing really. Come on. Let's go get the others and torture them until they talk." He pulled away from Harry, except for the fact that he tugged on one of his sleeves and pulled Harry out of the room and down the hall.   
  
When they reached Niall's room (Louis had decided Niall would blab first, apparently), Niall hugged them both and asked them a million questions about how home had been. They each talked about seeing some friends and then Louis hinted that he wanted to talk to him, Liam, and Zayn. Niall said he'd text Liam and Zayn, who were out, but due back soon.   
  
They waited for Liam and Zayn in the living room and Niall talked and talked and  _talked_. It seemed that Harry and Louis had missed a lot, like their bandmates arguing over a song they were trying to write together. And, of course, Justin Bieber had released his new album so Niall was excited about that as well. He listed every song in the order of his favorites. Harry exchanged an amused look with Louis as they listened.   
  
When Liam and Zayn walked through the door, they both greeted Harry and Louis happily. Liam said that they'd just been at a songwriting session because they couldn't agree on anything about that song they were working on.   
  
"So, Harry and I have to talk to you three." Louis said to the other boys with a bit of an accusing gaze. "And you have to be honest or I'll beat you up."   
  
Zayn snorted and Liam raised his eyebrows. Niall just looked confused and asked, "What?"   
  
"You three," he pointed to Niall, Liam, and Zayn, "have been secretive lately. You're hiding something. I'm convinced of it."   
  
Harry watched as their three accused bandmates exchanged a look. Finally, Zayn spoke. "Louis, you run off in the middle of the night all the time. If you're not telling us what you're doing, we don't owe you anything either."   
  
 _Harsh_ , Harry thought. Even though it was true. Louis  _did_  disappear all the time and didn't explain it. But that didn't mean he wanted Zayn to yell at Louis about it.   
  
"It's alright." Niall told Zayn. He smiled at him and then at Liam, somewhat shyer. "I'll tell them, it's fine." He finally turned to Louis and Harry and Harry could tell that Niall was pretending not to care about what he was about to say. "Yeah, uh," He nervously scratched his head. "I might be gay or bi or something and the others have been helping me. Supporting me, I mean. And I joined this website to talk to people like me. Anonymously. We went out to a gay club in New York City as well, but it sucked." He glanced at Liam for some odd reason and Liam just gave Niall a blank stare. "So yeah, that's what we've been hiding."   
  
Harry's eyes met Louis' and Louis gave him a small smile. Then, the oldest boy of the group turned back to Niall and said, "Well, make sure you wear a condom."   
  
At that, Niall blushed furiously. "I'm nowhere  _near_ -"   
  
"And if he says not to bite him  _there_ , don't bite him there," Harry advised. He had no idea what he was saying, but it sounded about right.   
  
"Also," Louis walked closer to Niall and put an arm around him, "If you're going to have sex, don't do it loudly. For the love of God. Or buy us earplugs."   
  
"I don't even have anyone to have sex with!" Niall blurted out. "I haven't even seen the pictures of the people who replied to me so far. You don't have to worry, guys. If anything happens, it's not going to be for awhile. I don't even know what I'm doing."  
  
"A guy, obviously." Harry said. He couldn't resist. Everyone laughed at his little quip, and Harry grinned, proud of himself for amusing them during what could have been an awkward talk. He honestly didn't care who Niall wanted to hook up with. He could have hooked up with Zayn or Liam and he wouldn't have minded. Or Louis. No. Not Louis. He sneaked a peak at Louis, who was smiling brilliantly at Niall now, assuring him that everything was fine. Niall was allowed to hook up with anyone in the band  _but_  Louis as far as Harry was concerned, though that was stupid because Harry couldn't really control either of them without using his magic. And he wasn't about to do that.   
  
He was afraid to even think of what all of it meant though. He just... didn't want Louis with Niall, that was all. Not that Louis had even said anything about liking guys before. He talked about girls all the time. They'd talked about Natalie Portman and how fit she was, so why would any of this even matter? Harry shook his head. It was so confusing and he knew he should let it go. He knew he should go tweet some girls or something. But instead he stayed put, glancing at each one of his bandmates.   
  
Also, there had been that dream. The one in which he'd seen Louis naked. And he was pretty sure that since it was actually real, Louis  _did_  look like that. The problem was that it shouldn't have mattered. He shouldn't have even felt tempted to look at Louis in the first place.   
  
Gemma was right. He was a perv. Always had been.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
 _To: IrishBoyD1  
From: YaoiBoi23  
  
hiiii I just saw ur profile and thought u sounded cool. so u like singing? :) :) _  
  
Niall blinked at the screen. he kind of approved of this one because he didn't seem like a douche, as Zayn would say, just overly friendly. Though he didn't really understand the guy's username so he Googled the word "yaoi." Instantly, the questions in his mind were answered. Yaoi was apparently anime in which guys hooked up with each other. Yup, this guy who had just messaged him was definitely gay. Niall wondered for a second if he actually was, because seeing pictures of guy cartoon characters kiss didn't turn him on at all.   
  
But then he remembered. Watching Blaine and Kurt kiss on Glee did.   
  
 _That_  was one of the reasons he'd stopped watching. Not just because he hadn't had time to watch, but because of his reaction to that kiss. He'd been so happy for them, and slightly aroused. It was embarrassing because he'd been watching the show with Harry at the time and Harry just kept a straight face. But Niall had had to get up and walk away. He'd been afraid that it seemed homophobic, but he'd actually just been afraid and embarrassed.   
  
Though he'd been questioning his sexuality for a long time, that was the last straw. He didn't really admit anything to himself until just before he told his home friends and Liam, though.   
  
Even though Niall didn't care about anime one way or the other, he typed a reply.   
  
 _To: YaoiBoy23  
From: IrishBoyD1  
  
hi.. yes i sing a lot! with my best friends... do u watch glee?? i used to... was just thinking about it..._  
  
He sent the message, wondering if he would get a reply soon. He wondered if he should care, so he clicked on the guy's name to visit his profile. Niall saw that YaoiBoi did, in fact, watch Glee and felt stupid for asking about it. Then something else caught Niall's attention.  _To see a picture of me click here!_    
  
Niall hadn't realized they could put links into the profiles. They weren't supposed to, but that didn't mean others didn't do it.   
  
He clicked on the link and it brought him to a picture of a  _very_  attractive guy. His eyes widened and he looked up at the door, hoping no one was about to walk in. Then he looked at the guy's picture again. He was absolutely gorgeous. It actually took him by surprise. Why did someone who looked like  _that_  have to go on anonymous dating website?   
  
He checked his inbox again and saw a reply.   
  
 _To: IrishBoyD1  
From: YaoiBoy23  
  
Yes I like Glee! did u see my profile? I have a picture there :) Do u have a picture?  
  
_  
  
Crap. Liam had warned him about this. At the thought of Liam, his stomach did a weird achey thing and he took a deep breath to try and fix it. He had promised himself he'd stop thinking about Liam, even though it was all he was able to do whenever he wasn't talking to these other guys.   
  
And now this guy wanted to see a picture of him. He couldn't do that.   
  
He typed a careful response.   
  
 _no picture... not yet at least... u have to prove yourself worthy;)_  
  
Hopefully that was flirty enough to keep the guy talking to him. He wondered if he  _would_  end up sending his picture to this guy, or any guy. He knew he couldn't trust anybody right now but maybe someday he would.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"That's your profile? It has hardly anything on it!" Harry said, peering at Niall's computer screen. It was the next afternoon, and Niall was showing Harry how that website worked. Liam sat on Niall's other side, watching TV, and pretending not to pay attention. Niall probably thought Liam  _was_  ignoring them, but Harry knew better. Liam sat awkwardly, occasionally looking to the side while Niall excitedly pointed at something on the screen.   
  
"Well, I can't say much!" Niall reminded him. "It's just for fun anyway. But I did add Glee to my favorite shows. I didn't before but I didn't want to seem too camp."   
  
"You're always a little camp, it's alright. So, met anyone you like?" Harry asked him with an encouraging smile.   
  
Liam stood up then, holding up the remote control. "This damn thing isn't working again." He walked over to the television to turn up the volume.   
  
"Well, this one guy who likes anime." Niall told Harry with a little smile. He clicked on a username that brought him to an anonymous guy's profile. "Look, he posted a picture." He clicked on a link in the guy's profile and it brought them to a picture of a pretty attractive guy, smiling at the camera. "We talked all night and have a lot in common, and he's not a douchebag, so Zayn'll like him too. He's been helping me judge who to talk to."   
  
"You talked all night?" Liam suddenly asked. He was standing over them, staring down in surprise.  
  
"Yeah!" Niall nodded. "He's really cool. I think you'd like him. Approve or whatever."   
  
Liam looked like he did  _not_  approve, which struck Harry as odd because he wasn't one to care about someone's sexuality either. In fact, Harry had assumed that Liam would be happy for Niall. He really wanted to peak into Liam's mind or something, and see why he was so upset. But glancing back and forth between Liam and Niall, he figured it out on his own pretty quickly. It was quite simple, which might have been worrisome if anyone who wasn't a band member knew what was going on.   
  
They fancied each other. But it seemed like they were in different stages of it. Niall probably knew, but was trying to get over it, and Liam probably didn't know why Niall talking to other guys made him so unhappy. It made sense, and it was why Niall had been looking at Liam like he was fascinated by him and why Liam seemed to hang on to Niall's every world, even when the rest of them just laughed at what he said. It made too much sense, actually. Liam probably didn't care one way or the other about Niall's sexuality, but he  _did_  care about who he hooked up with.   
  
Liam wasn't gay, though. That was the problem. Or, at least, he had never said he was. In fact, Harry had heard Liam identify himself as straight more than a few times. Also, he'd had a girlfriend until pretty recently. But then again, that didn't mean much. One could call himself something and actually be something else. One could date a girl and actually like guys. One could like guys  _and_  girls but deny liking one or the other for most of his life.   
  
"That's great." Liam finally said, his voice completely flat. He sat back down on Niall's other side and glued his eyes to the television again, occasionally checking his phone for texts or tweets. Clearly he'd had enough of the subject.   
  
Niall looked at Harry helplessly, and Harry knew that Niall was trying to communicate the truth to him and ask for help. That he fancied Liam and couldn't do a damn thing about it so he tried to talk to other guys. Harry put a sympathetic arm around his friend's shoulder and suggested that they look at their mentions on Twitter. Niall and Liam both needed a good laugh.   
  
  
  
  
He began thinking later, though, and that was always dangerous. Whenever he was alone without any distractions, thinking led him to revelations he didn't want to experience.   
  
He began thinking about the looks Niall and Liam had given each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. It was obvious what those looks meant, even if they couldn't admit it to each other or themselves.   
  
And he had to wonder... did he ever do that? Did he ever look at Louis like that?   
  
Because if he did, he was pretty much fucked.   
  
  
  
  
That night, he made it his mission to figure out if he looked at Louis as if he had a crush on him. People had been insinuating things about his relationship with Louis forever, but he had always brushed it aside, but with all of the events recently, he really needed to know. And whatever the answer was, he had to accept it and figure out where to go from there.   
  
The first thing he checked was Tumblr. Luckily he had an account that he hardly used but he had tracked the tags of his name, Louis', the rest of the band, and also the One Direction tag. He also had saved the Larry Stylinson tag, so he clicked that one. Immediately, he saw posts from the X Factor, from a few months after, from the tour, from other gigs they had done.   
  
He scrolled through.  _Pretty normal. Pretty normal. Kinda normal._  And then he stopped.   
  
In the picture, he and Louis were sitting next to each other. Louis was facing forward, making some ridiculous face. And Harry's eyes were doing  _that thing_  that Niall's did whenever he looked at Liam.   
  
He went through even more pictures.   
  
Oh  _god_. His eyes did that all the time. Sometimes while he was laughing, sometimes while he was calm. It was  _all the time_. His eyes were like that in every picture of him looking at Louis.   
  
He blinked at the screen, scrolling through even more. He found a few written things tagged with "Larry Stylinson" by fans who said that they liked the two of them together because of how they looked at each other. That confused him, because he didn't really see Louis looking at him like that in any of the pictures. Harry realized that it was always him, and probably  _only_  him.   
  
It was strange. He had assumed that the fans liked them together because they were two guys who were best friends. But he had underestimated the fans. There was more to it than that. Apparently he had "hearts in his eyes" for Louis, as some fans put it. And Harry had to admit, that searching through Tumblr, that was pretty damn accurate. He couldn't stop staring at himself staring at Louis. Had he always been so damn obvious? Did the other lads know? Did his family know? Was that why Gemma had assumed he was perving on Louis in that dream?   
  
Because... He sighed. He  _was_. He  _was_  perving on Louis in that dream. He had tried to convince himself that it didn't mean anything. But...   
  
He closed his eyes. Forced himself to allow himself to picture what he had seen in that dream. He'd pretty much seen all of Louis. He had been a bit wet, and... He had seen Louis' bare arms and legs. He's seen his ass as well, and now, in the comfort of his room, he allowed himself to actually remember the curve of his ass and that it was...  _nice_. And he had also seen Louis' dick, though he had averted his eyes right away. He bit his lip and opened his eyes.   
  
He realized he was getting hard  _from picturing Louis naked_.   
  
It wasn't like he cared  _that much_. If he liked a guy, he liked a guy. But the guy was Louis. His best friend. The one who snuck out at night, the one who had gone out  _tonight_  with Zayn to some club and was probably dancing with some girl whose number he would get. And usually picturing a girl dancing would have been amazing. But right now his focus was entirely on Louis.   
  
All of his thoughts cleared except for Louis. Somehow Louis grinding with some imaginary girl became Louis dancing naked by himself.   
  
Harry didn't bother to question it. By now he was too hard to chastise himself.   
  
He unzipped his pants and reached in, curling his hand around his dick. One of the things he liked best about his magic powers was that he didn't have to buy lube and stuff. If he wanted his dick lubed up, it was. If he wanted his hand to be warm, it could be. He stroked himself as he watched Louis in his head, just moving about, teasing him. And then as if it wasn't too intense already, he imagined Louis walking toward him and kissing him. Just on his lips lightly before moving to his neck. In his fantasy, Louis took charge of stroking Harry and Harry just bucked his hips to him. He was only slightly aware of the fact that his movements on the bed had gotten faster. He felt so close already.  
  
That was when, in Harry's fantasy, Louis began to kiss Harry everywhere else, flicking his tongue a bit just to tease him even more. Harry moaned aloud at the thought. It was almost too much when he imagined Louis taking him into his mouth. Louis kept his hands on Harry's inner thighs, occasionally moving them about.   
  
Fantasy-Louis didn't finish the job. He stopped. However, he climbed back up and kneeled over Harry. He leaned down and whispered, "I want you so much," in Harry's ear.   
  
Harry came  _hard_. He continued stroking until he was sure it was over, and then after he took his hand out of his pants, he just sat there.   
  
He'd never done that before. He hadn't used Louis as an image like that before. He'd never  _allowed_  himself to do that before. But thinking about Louis... he  _wished_  he'd done it before, because it felt amazing.They hadn't actually done much in the fantasy and he wondered if he'd even be able to last if he was in that situation with Louis.   
  
 _What?_  There was no way he would ever be in that situation with Louis. Louis would never want to be in that situation with  _him_. There was no way Louis would want to get off with him, fuck him, do any of that. Louis didn't want him. Louis could act flirty sometimes, and sometimes Harry wondered if Louis meant it that way, but when it came down to it, Louis liked girls.   
  
Harry closed his laptop and lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.   
  
Alright. So he fancied Louis. It made sense. He hadn't been able to place the feelings he'd had around Louis, but now it all made too much sense.   
  
And  _shit_.   
  
He was going to have to look Louis in the eye after what he'd just done.  _Fuck._    
  
The biggest problem, of course, was that as soon as he could he wanted to do it again.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
It turned out that Zayn had come back in the middle of night, not accompanied by Louis. Harry had pretty much expected this, but that didn't mean that it didn't still annoy him. He sat with Zayn at the table the next morning (well, early afternoon), eating breakfast, when Louis came into the room, wearing the same clothes that he'd left in. Harry caught his gaze but had to look away because he felt far too guilty to look at him. It was just silly because Louis was his best mate, but he felt like he had a post-it on his forehead that said "I JERKED OFF TO LOUIS DANCING AROUND NAKED AND GOING DOWN ON ME."   
  
Actually, it was better not to think of that because he could actually make one of those appear on his forehead, even by accident.   
  
"Wow," Zayn said. "Noon. That's a new record, I'd say. Someone got lucky."   
  
Harry watched Louis carefully as he shrugged and sat down. He didn't deny getting lucky, but he didn't confirm it either. Harry wouldn't be surprised if Louis had, in fact, been with some girl. Harry knew that he'd probably done that a few times, and maybe that was even where Louis snuck off to most of the time. But that thought annoyed him, so he tried to clear his mind.   
  
"I think something weird is going on." Harry said. He looked around to see if Liam or Niall were in the next room or the doorway, and then leaned forward and said quietly, "You know Niall and the whole gay thing? I think he and Liam want each other."   
  
Louis looked surprised, but Zayn said, "Obviously. I've been trying to tell Liam that all week. You should see the amount of jealousy he's capable of. I never would have expected it, actually."   
  
"Wait," said Louis, looking at the two of them with wide eyes. "You think  _Liam_  is gay for Niall? But Liam talks about girls and he seemed really into Danielle when they were going out."   
  
"So?" Harry replied, looking Louis square in the eye. He was surprised he could do that after what he had done. "Bisexuality exists, Louis."  _I would know._  Not that he'd labeled himself since the previous night, but he knew now there was no way he was straight. He was probably bisexual and had just never let himself acknowledge it. "And even that doesn't matter. What matters is that they want each other and it's going to be  _tense_  here."   
  
"Unless we get them together." Zayn noted. "Not that I know how to do that. Liam is stubborn. No matter how much opportunity we give him, he's not going to act on it, not when Niall's a guy."   
  
Harry actually knew some charms that he could use, but if he used them on his bandmates now, they would become suspicious of him, especially if Liam and Niall happened to get together shortly after this conversation took place. No, he needed to learn to let stuff happen the normal way. "We should let them figure it out on their own. But I do think throwing them together is a good idea. Make them go off to the store together, stuff like that, and-"   
  
"Wait," Louis interrupted. "You do realize that if two band members got together, it could be the end of us all. If they broke up, our careers could turn to shit if they couldn't be friends. It's not like I don't want them to be happy, but I don't want them to be  _unhappy_  either. If they get together, we're going to have to talk about it as a band."   
  
Harry and Zayn were silent. Zayn took a bite of his cereal, but Harry kept his eyes on Louis'. He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling he was radiating intensity. Because he had to wonder... even if Louis liked him  _that way_ , would he object to their being together for the good of the band? And then, like an idiot, he blurted out, "What if it was you and me?"   
  
Zayn froze and stopped chewing, and was probably staring at them, but Harry couldn't see him. All he could see was Louis, staring back at him. "What do you mean, Hazza?"   
  
"What if we were in Liam and Niall's situation?" Harry asked. He felt his face warm up and wondered if he'd been around Niall too long.  _Niall_  was the one who blushed, not him. "Would you want them objecting to  _us_?"   
  
Louis blinked and pursed his lips. "I'm not objecting. I don't want anything to hurt any of us. And," he flashed a goofy grin suddenly, "If we were gay for each other, we would have shagged senseless months ago. You know me, I don't like putting things like that off."   
  
 _I wouldn't be too sure of that_ , Harry thought. It wasn't like he could just point out at the breakfast table that he was sort of gay for Louis and probably wouldn't mind shagging him either. The problem was that Louis only saw him as a friend. And that was alright. Harry would rather have Louis as a best mate than nothing at all. He would be able to get over all of this. It was just a blip in his sanity He  _had_  to be insane to think about this in front of Louis. After all, what if Louis  _was_  supernatural? What if he was the kind that could read minds?   
  
"Do me a favor," Zayn said suddenly, and Harry and Louis turned to him, "If it turns out you  _are_  gay for each other, don't be idiots about it like the other two are being. There's only so much angst one band can take."   
  
With that, Zayn got up and put his bowl in the sink, leaving the room.   
  
Harry and Louis stayed there, looking at each other. Harry kind of wanted to just get it out in the open, but he knew he couldn't. So he asked, "So, how  _was_  your night?"   
  
"Fine. Going out tonight as well. Don't give me that look, Harry, I know we start gigging again in two days. You know I'll be fine. I don't sleep well anyway." Louis stood up and walked around the table to Harry. He messed up Harry's curls, "But I'm glad you're concerned. Remember, you have nothing to worry about. I'll always come back to you. I know, I know. That sounds really gay."   
  
Harry didn't care if it sounded really gay. He smiled, despite the fact that he felt weird.   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
  
He needed to talk to someone. He didn't want to deal with Gemma's smugness, because he knew that was how she would be. He loved her to death, but he could imagine her smirk when she found that her suspicions were right. Instead, he sent a direct message to Vanessa.   
  
 _Hey... I need to talk to someone... I think I fancy Louis. No Idea what to do. .x_    
  
It was only a few minutes before he got a reply.   
  
 _Oh Harry :/ I have some news about him._


	6. Chapter 6

Once Louis began thinking about something relatively important, he couldn't stop. This  _always_  happened to him.   
  
The problem was that the thing that was important to him was not something that should have been. He should have been concentrating on later, preparing. Instead, he was thinking about what Harry had said at breakfast.   
  
 _What if it was you and me?_    
  
Louis was  _trying_  to pick out his clothes for tonight, but his mind kept drifting back to what Harry had said. He was so sure that Liam and Niall fancied each other. He had said it with confidence, and then when Louis had tried to bring up  _entirely valid points_  about their friends' potential relationship, Harry had thrown him through a loop of craziness, probably without meaning to.  
  
 _What if we were in Liam and Niall's situation? Would you want them objecting to us?_    
  
Louis had tried to play it off as a joke. After all, that was what he did. That was his  _thing_. But it was strange because Harry had been dead serious when he asked. He must have known that Louis would have to agree with him. After all, it was Harry. Of course Louis was going to listen to what he said if it had to do with the two of them - or anything, really.   
  
Did Harry  _mean_  something by it? Louis suspected he did because Harry wasn't the kind of guy to say something like that without implying something important. He didn't just go around casually asking, "How would you feel if we were in a gay relationship and people didn't want us to be?"   
  
But then again, it was Harry. He could be weird sometimes as well.   
  
Louis drew in a deep breath as he grabbed a buttoned up shirt and put it on. He knew he was going to have to talk to Harry about this. But he was going to have to put it off to tomorrow. There was no way he would be able to talk to Harry about something this important and then go do something dangerous. His concentration would be elsewhere and he wouldn't be able to get the job done.   
  
It would also give him time to think about Harry and the fact that he might have meant something by what he said. That maybe Harry had more-than-friendly feelings for him. Maybe  _that_  was why Harry was so concerned all of the time. Maybe  _that_  was why Harry had acted strange when Louis mentioned Hannah on Skype. Maybe it was jealousy or something. Maybe  _that_  was why Harry hadn't been going out with as many girls as he used to, or the media said he did. He  _liked to have fun_ , like he said on Late Night, but Louis hadn't seen him having  _that_  kind of fun lately. At least, not much.   
  
Harry probably thought Louis was having that kind of fun. He'd probably thought that for the past year, and tonight would be no different. There was a reason he always dressed up like he was going out with some fit girl. There was a reason he hooked up with them sometimes.   
  
Because he had to make the girl believe him.   
  
Hannah had to do the same thing with the guys.   
  
He checked his phone and then realized that he would have to leave in a few minutes just as there was a knock on the door. It was already open slightly, and opened more to reveal Harry sticking his head in. "Louis?"   
  
"Hairball."   
  
Harry opened the door wider and stepped in the room. "I was wondering where you were going later?"   
  
"A party." Louis replied with his automatic answer. And, well, it was true.   
  
"Can I go with you?"   
  
Louis blinked at him. Harry was smiling; he looked so hopeful, so interested. To tell him  _no_  would probably crush him. After all, it wasn't like it was a club. He wasn't really going out drinking some place Harry wasn't allowed to go. He couldn't put Harry in the middle of something like this, even if Harry was a supernatural. He reckoned that if Harry was a supernatural person he wasn't that powerful anyway; he had never seen anything that showed he had amazing supernatural abilities. Super speed or super strength, he didn't show those at all. Either that, or he was good at faking it.   
  
He knew he was just trying to justify it to himself, though. If he justified it to himself,  _maybe_  he would be able to consider the other stuff. The gay stuff. Which should have bothered him, but didn't.   
  
"Harry, I don't know..." Louis began. "I don't usually come back until morning, and..."   
  
"If you're meeting up with someone there, I'll meet someone as well. I'll make friends or something. You won't even have to hang out with me if you don't want to.  _Please_?" Wow, Harry was begging, which wasn't something he usually did. Something about this was serious. He wasn't just randomly asking.   
  
"You don't trust me." Louis said with realization.   
  
Harry frowned. "What the hell? Of course I trust you. You're  _Louis_. But, I don't know, I get the feeling you're hiding something from me. You're probably not doing that but, I don't know, I like hanging out with you. So I want to see what you do, where you go, meet your other friends. I'm your best mate, am I not allowed to want that?"   
  
Harry  _did_  make a fair point,  _if_  Louis wasn't heading into a dangerous situation. Then again, it would be easy enough to separate Harry from the dangerous part while Louis dealt with it. The _other_  problem was that these people weren't his friends. He didn't know them. It was just the crowd that Isabel hung out with. He had a feeling they weren't all like her. But she was probably planning on making them like her. And he couldn't let that happen.   
  
Still. He couldn't let Harry go to a party with vampires.   
  
"Harry-"   
  
"Louis." Harry raised an eyebrow. Louis almost felt like Harry was chastising him.   
  
He could change it. Change the plan around. They could meet at a restaurant, in a more public place. That would allow him to get his job done without putting Harry in a dangerous situation.   
  
"Actually," Louis said, "I was going to meet someone. A girl named Isabel. Hold on," He took his phone out of his pocket and pretended to check his texts. "Oh, look at that. She wants to meet at a restaurant. I'll just text her and let her know you're coming along."   
  
He looked up and he could swear he saw the look in Harry's eyes change. Not necessarily to  _happy_ , but glad that Louis had agreed. Still, he was reluctant. "Oh. Uh, you're going on a date thing?"   
  
"Sort of." No, but that was what she had to think.   
  
"Then I'll back off."   
  
"You could bring someone and it could be a double-"   
  
" _No_ ," said Harry. He looked like he  _really_  did not want to be around Louis and a date. "Go. Have fun. That's a nice shirt. She'll like that. Uh. Okay. See ya."   
  
He turned around, but Louis caught him and pulled him around into a hug. Harry instinctively rested his head on Louis' shoulder and Louis made sure to hold him close. He knew it. Everything was changing, and it had been for awhile. He pulled Harry even tighter, afraid he was going to crush the younger boy's lungs or something. Still, he felt safe here. He did what he had to do, but that didn't mean he wanted to. He was confident, but he didn't feel safe doing it. But here with Harry was where he felt the best and the safest.   
  
Not even bothering to debate with himself about whether he should or not, he kissed Harry's forehead when he pulled away. He wasn't sure what it meant himself, but he smiled at his friend. "Next time I'll take you out and it'll just be the two of us. Alright?"   
  
Harry nodded, his lips turned upward into a small smile. Louis reached out and brushed the curls out of his face, and Harry just stood there  _smiling_  at him. Louis had to admit, it  _was_  the cutest thing.   
  
He would give it some thought, and when he came back, he and Harry would discuss whatever they could.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry had expected Vanessa to tell him that she found out what Louis  _was_. But instead, she had told him something a bit more shocking.   
  
 _The coven looked into it and I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you. But wherever you guys go there's a string of supernatural deaths. We only found out because my parents decided to try and tap into supernatural energy here. But it seems to follow you. It actually happens AFTER you guys leave, but it's weird that it follows you. And we also began talking to some other supernatural groups. They all say something weird is going on.  
  
The real kicker is that one of the shapeshifting families, they were talking to us and their daughter (our age) had just died. We talked to them about the situation with you and Louis (not really using your names, just describing the situation) and they said that their daughter had been out with this guy a week before she died and she didn't hear from him. But they still had her phone. There was a number without a name, and her dad called it. LOUIS answered the phone. We know because we used our magic to trace it. It was him.   
  
I just needed to let you know this. I was just about to message you about this when you messaged me. I know you like Louis ~like that~ but I think you need to get him to be honest more than ever. Because it looks like these deaths are connected to him as much as we don't want them to be._   
  
After taking a few minutes to process that, he had gone to talk to Louis immediately.   
  
The problem was that when he looked at Louis, he  _just couldn't_  see Louis as a killer. If he had to do with that girl's death, he hadn't actually  _done it_. He really did need to let Louis explain himself, like Vanessa said. But when he opened his mouth, he had asked Louis if he could go with him that night instead.   
  
It really shouldn't have bothered him more that Louis was going out on a date, than that the date could result in what had happened to that shapeshifter girl. Harry didn't know if it was going to be a real date or not, but he was determined to find out.   
  
He dressed fully in black and dug a black hat out of his wardrobe. If he covered up his hair for the most part, he probably wouldn't be recognized. Plus he never dressed like this. He knew he could make himself invisible, and if he needed to, he would. But he didn't want to make the extra effort.   
  
Louis had left a few minutes ago, and Harry was about to, when Niall walked by and peered into the room. "What is that outfit?"   
  
Harry shrugged. "Nothing. I'm going out."   
  
Niall nodded, and then quickly walked into the room and shut the door. "Are you following Louis?"   
  
Well, he hadn't meant to be so obvious. But then again, he  _was_  wearing clothes people would wear to break into someone's house. Tentatively, he nodded. Because even though it was hardest to lie to Louis, it was still difficult to lie to Niall, especially because he looked into Harry's eyes with such sincerity. "Yeah. I'm going after Louis."   
  
"How are you going to find him? He already left, mate." Niall raised a critical eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Probably too late to follow him."   
  
"I know how to find him." Harry said truthfully. Not that he could  _tell_  Niall how. "Don't worry about it. As long as we're on the subject of our bandmates, I need to talk to you about something at some point, maybe not tonight, but-"   
  
"What is it?" Niall looked like he was expecting what Harry was about to say.   
  
"You like Liam." Harry said quietly. "Don't you?"   
  
Niall reddened a bit. "No!"   
  
Harry rolled his eyes and gave him his best  _oh, come on_  face. "Relax, I'm not going to tell him. But I just want you to know that you can talk to me about it anytime. Except, after I go find Louis."   
  
After a moment, Niall nodded. "Thanks. Why are you going after Louis anyway? Isn't that kind of stalkerish?"   
  
Harry made the excuse that it didn't matter because he was Louis' best friend and they were both kind of weird anyway. In all honesty, Harry hadn't even considered that it might be an invasion of privacy, because he was more concerned about everyone's safety. If he got to the party, or the restaurant, and saw that everything was fine, he would leave and make sure Louis didn't see him. If Louis was about to  _hurt someone_ , and he didn't want to think about that, then he would have to stop it and then talk to the coven about it.   
  
He really didn't want it to be the latter option. He didn't want to think about Louis killing supernaturals.  
  
He walked with Niall down the stairs and they found Liam in the living room on his own computer. He looked up and said, "They think I'm dead on Twitter again."   
  
"Say hi," Niall said, sitting down next to him, "And then disappear. Like you always do," he teased with a smile.   
  
Instead, Liam eyed Harry's outfit. "Going to a burglary convention?"   
  
"Yeah," Harry replied sarcastically, "Gonna learn how to steal jewelry and everything. Don't wait up."   
  
Harry grabbed his keys, made sure he had his phone, and walked out the door before he could stop himself.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"You found out his name?" Liam asked. The moment Niall said it, Liam had frozen up, not sure what to feel. Niall had been talking to that weird yaoi-loving guy for the past few days nonstop, and Liam was so  _damn tired_  of hearing about him.   
  
"Yeah, Xavier. Isn't that great?" Niall replied with a smile. If Liam wasn't mistaken, Niall was  _blushing_. Over this Xavier person.   
  
"Sounds like a douche." Liam muttered, looking back at his twitter screen. He'd just tweeted something about wanting ice cream, but now the craving was gone.   
  
Niall made an offended sound. "He's not a douche. He's a good guy. I haven't told him my name, don't worry. But I'm thinking of it, maybe."   
  
Liam's gaze shot back up to Niall's. "Don't you think that would be moving a little fast? If you're going to tell him who you are, you should talk to everyone. We don't want you to get into any trouble and you've only known him a few days. You don't even know him. He's this anonymous guy on this website. Also, he sounds like a douche."   
  
Niall frowned. "I thought you'd be happy for me. It's not  _your_  problem anymore so what the hell  _is_  your problem?  _You're_  acting like the douche. You're always telling us to be nice and stop saying all this shit about people we don't know, but you get to judge someone? And my first name isn't even that uncommon. Know what? I'm just gonna go to my room. Have a  _great_  night," he added sarcastically.   
  
Niall gathered up his stuff and marched out of the room. Liam just watched after him because that was all he could do. He supposed he could go after Niall, explain that he just wanted what was best for him. But Niall needed some time to cool down and Liam had no idea how he would phrase anything anyway. He felt confused and he just wanted all of this to go away. He wanted to go back to September when everything was simple and they had no problems other than screwing up their choreography.   
  
But that was impossible. And he didn't really believe in the impossible.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"Hey," Isabel said in that sultry voice of hers. Louis smiled and walked toward her, pretending to be one-hundred percent interested. It was funny, because if she wasn't a vampire, he would have thought she  _was_  a hot girl. But the fact that she was a killer and she was trying to create more like her kind of overshadowed her looks. He remembered that vampirism also enhanced people's looks, so maybe she wasn't even that fit when she was a human... whenever that had been. It could have been three-hundred years for all he knew.   
  
"Hi, babe," he said, giving her an awkward kiss on her cheek. "Ready for the party?"   
  
"Sure." she said, casting a sideways glance at him. "Let's go."   
  
She was the one to lead them along since he didn't actually know where the party was going to be. He looked around as they walked in silence, surprised at the direction they were heading in. He expected the party to be in some obscure place, but... everyone was out and about here. He saw some people watching them. No doubt they recognized him. No doubt that rumors about Louis Tomlinson being seen with hot girl would circulate in a matter of minutes. Isabel probably knew this too, but didn't seem to care.   
  
"The party is this way?" Louis asked after a few minutes. He waved at some fans as they walked, knowing it might be rude to stop and make Isabel wait.   
  
"Mmhm," she said. And then she leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I know what you are, Louis."   
  
"What-" Louis began, freezing up. There was no way she knew. How could she?   
  
"Stay quiet unless you want me to kill you. And don't even think of doing what you were going to," she snarled. And then as if she hadn't just said that, she faced forward again, putting a fake smile on her face.   
  
Louis was astounded by his ability to keep his cool. He could have pushed a button his watch, sent out an SOS, but he didn't. He needed to see this through, no matter how much Isabel threatened to kill him. He had some defenses on him, but he hoped he wouldn't need to use them.   
  
They arrived at the party and Louis scanned the room for any other hints of supernatural activity. Besides the crowd being a mixture of goth and hipster kids, he didn't really see anything that put him on alert. No red eyes, no fangs, no threatening glares. It was a pretty normal party, except for the fact that they had all probably met Isabel at some point and she decided to host the party here. It was at someone's house, and judging from the fact that they were greeted at the door by some guy, Louis guessed it was his place. But Isabel knew the house well. She waved to her friends, clutched Louis' arm tighter, and dragged him toward the stairs.   
  
"They're all human," Isabel said. "But they won't be for long."   
  
Louis wanted to ask her why she didn't just kill them, but he didn't want to die. So instead, he just stared, wondering if Isabel had actually told them what she was. Maybe she wanted to have them get to know each other first before she turned them. Maybe she was just planning on turning them all at once. Either way, he couldn't let that happen.   
  
This was one of Louis' most dangerous missions. A lot of the supernaturals he encountered weren't bad people. Some were a little misguided and some were as innocent as puppies. It really depended on what Adrian wanted him to do. Whenever there were suspicions of supernatural activity where Louis was, he was given a call. He was only one of a handful of people who did what he did. They were mostly in cities, and its resident tagger wasn't available, and One Direction were in town, then he was called. However, he was one of the two taggers in London.   
  
He had never had to use his defenses before, even though he always carried them on him. He was afraid that it would come down to that, even though he didn't really want to  _hurt_  Isabel. Then again, if she was kind of evil, he had no choice.   
  
The thought of actually killing these people, even the bad ones, made him feel ill. Usually he had to remind himself that the bad ones weren't people. Not anymore. Maybe they had started off nice enough, but something had changed in them to make them into what they were today. Killers. And there were a  _lot_  of killers.   
  
The reason he didn't usually deal with the bad ones was because he was in One Direction. It was a huge risk doing this, being a well-known guy in a well-known boyband. But he couldn't let his family and friends down. When he had auditioned for the X Factor and gotten through to bootcamp, and finally put into the band, he made sure that Adrian, his parents, and Hannah knew that he wasn't going to give this up. In turn, Adrian decided to give him the low-risk cases. But the other tagger was sick tonight, so he was stuck doing this.   
  
As they reached the top of the stairs, he mused about how much he would rather be home, with Harry and the other lads. He promised himself that if he ever got the hell out of this situation, he  _would_  talk to Harry. Because he couldn't deny that something weird was going on between them. The way Harry had looked at him earlier made him wonder. Actually, he wondered about Harry all the time, if he was honest with himself. And now Harry had spoken those words, planted the seed of a potential, whether imaginary or not, relationship.   
  
Louis wasn't gay. He knew he wasn't. But that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate another guy's looks, right? He could definitely appreciate Harry's, and the fact that he and Harry were so close... it didn't scare him as much as he would expect it to.   
  
Then he remembered where he was. He was in a house, being dragged  _somewhere_  by a dangerous vampire. She could snap his neck at any second. This was no time to think about Harry.   
  
Isabel pulled Louis into one of the empty bedrooms, and for a moment Louis wondered what was going on. She barely looked at him as she kept her grip tight, shut the door, and locked it. Then, she turned to him, her eyes glowing now.   
  
Within one second, she had him pressed up against the wardrobe, holding his neck so that he  _knew_  she could kill him. And that she was most likely going to.   
  
"I know who you are. You're not just some famous boyband member. You kill us." she said, practically spitting in his face. "You kill us, and as much as I hate all of the vampires I've ever met, I hate humans who think they should have control over vampires even more."   
  
"I don't kill you." Louis choked out. "I promise. I don't kill people."   
  
"But you don't think I'm a person, do you?" She squinted, and then laughed. "And you're right. I can kill you right now and I wouldn't care if I did. No one downstairs would care much either, because I've been telling them what to expect. You know, all of those kids down there, they all have people in their lives that they feel so much hatred toward that it's going to be  _easy_  for them to channel that into killing humans when they turn. It's going to be so  _fun_."   
  
"This is why I was sent to you." Louis said quietly, struggling to breathe. "Just let me do my job and then I'll be on my way, and you'll never have to see me again."   
  
"You're sent to  _everyone_." Isabel said, glaring at him. Now she had her fangs out, and it took all of Louis' strength not to let out a squeak of fear. He had never actually  _had_  a vampire do this to him before. None of the ones he'd ever encountered had bared their fangs to him. "And you're wrong. If I let you go, I'm going to see you  _everywhere_. Tell me, is it hard, being in a band and doing this? I imagine you're keeping this a secret from them. I bet they wouldn't even know what to think of you if they knew that you go out and kill-"   
  
"I... don't... kill..." Louis interrupted, gasping in between each breath. Her grip on his neck became tighter, and he knew that she was planning on drinking from him. This was what they did to prepare.   
  
"You might as well be killing us," Isabel snapped, "If your kind kills us, why shouldn't we kill you, is what I say."   
  
"You kill them first," Louis looked her in the eye now. And it was true. Vampires like her, they snapped innocent peoples' necks, drank them dry. That was why they were seen as a threat, and that was why Louis had to do what he did.   
  
Isabel smirked now. "Your friends wouldn't see it that way, would they? Especially Harry. What is he, your boyfriend? I don't think he will be after he finds out what you are. It's too bad you've gotten lazy, Louis. You should have stayed invisible. Instead, you grew more confident and thought you could  _woo_  us, you famous douchebag. And our kind talk. There are rumors about you and your group. We know what you're doing, and we know  _how_  you're doing it. I don't care if I have to kill every last human. If I have to kill  _you_  to send a message to your boss, that's fine, too."   
  
Louis shook as her mouth came closer to his throat.   
  
It only stung a little when she bit into him. Actually... it was quite nice. And...  _pleasurable_. He stopped shaking and gave into it, finding himself smiling. He kind of wanted to kiss her as well. Maybe she would throw him down on the bed and they could have sex while she drank even more from him. God, that would be perfect, because he wanted her so much. Maybe they could... he felt a bit of a rush in his crotch area just as she pulled her mouth away from his throat.   
  
And the pleasurable feeling was gone. He stared at her, actually glaring. When people were bitten by vampires, they could be manipulated into whatever the vampire wanted them to do. If a vampire drank from you and wanted you to kill yourself, that would be the end result. Isabel had gone the sex route. Unoriginal and manipulative, and it made him hate her. And  _he_  didn't usually hate people.   
  
Her mouth was dripping with blood, and it disgusted him. He was lucky he hadn't eaten anything in the past few hours, or else he would probably be sick. She just smirked, "You see, I can make you do anything. I could have sex with you and then kill you. I could drink all of your blood, letting you hope for something,  _anything_ , and then just drink you dry. You're nothing, Louis. You're nothing at all. You're not a special human. You're just a human, and not worth anything."   
  
Louis said nothing. If he said what he wanted to say, she would kill him in an instant.   
  
"I want you to take a message back to your little group. Tell them to stop. Tell them to let us do what we want. Or we  _will_  come after you. Even if it has to be in your most vulnerable state. We could kill you in your sleep, Louis. We can break into your houses while you're sleeping, and you might never wake up again. I don't think you understand how much we're capable of. This is the only reason you're alive right now. The only reason I'm not killing you is so that  _they know_. And you're going to deliver the message."   
  
"No... I'm... not." Louis replied. If he was going to die, then fine. But he wasn't going to be her little messenger.   
  
Her eyes flashed even brighter red, if that was possible. "What did you say?" She eased up her grip on his neck so he could speak more easily.   
  
"I'm not going to tell them to back off." Louis said quietly. "They're always going to go after your kind, even if you kill me. Death is a risk. We all know that. You can't surprise us with your threats. Even if you kill me, they'll find a way to come after you before you get to them."   
  
She leaned forward. Her smile was kind of frightening, but Louis was too annoyed to be that scared. "You must  _want_  to die."   
  
"No, I don't  _want_  to die. But death is better than surrendering to your kind. What do you even want to do? Take over the earth? We're not going to let that happen, you murderous bitch."   
  
Isabel's face changed. Louis wasn't sure  _how_  he knew, but he knew then that he was going to die. He also knew that he hardly had any time to think of it. As her mouth descended to his neck again, he thought of his family and friends. The band would be left wondering what had happened to him. He thought about his mum and dad, his sisters. He thought of Hannah and how he'd never thanked her for being such a good friend after they split up. He'd always meant to buy her yellow roses or something.   
  
He thought about Harry. He thought about all of the fun he'd had with Harry, and the moments that had felt sort of awkward. He remembered how it felt to be hugged by Harry, how nice it was to even  _look_  at him and know that everything between them would be alright, even if they were suspicious of each other. He thought about the moments when Harry would just do something funny and how he wouldn't be able to take his eyes off of him. And now he was going to die and never see Harry again.   
  
 _Well_ , Louis thought to himself,  _Maybe I'll become a ghost. And be cornered like I've done to them in the past._  The thought was bittersweet. Mostly bitter. He didn't want to die.   
  
He closed his eyes and waited for Isabel's fangs to sink into his skin again. Or for her to snap his neck.   
  
It never happened.   
  
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and saw that Isabel was frozen. Her eyes were open, and her fangs were out, but she wasn't moving at all. She was just standing there, and her grip was still on Louis' neck, but she wasn't doing anything. He stared at her in shock.   
  
The door flew open then, and he drew in a sharp breath when he saw who was standing there.   
  
Harry.   
  
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
  
"Harry," Louis said quietly. His eyes were wide, but Harry ignored Louis' shock. He would have to explain everything later.   
  
He walked closer to Louis and the vampire he assumed was Isabel. Gently, he helped Louis out of her grasp, and then pushed him to the side a little. He had to make sure that Louis didn't interfere.   
  
He put a hand on Isabel's forehead.   
  
"What are you doing?!" Louis asked, the surprise still apparent on his face. "What are you doing here? Did you  _follow me_?"   
  
Harry wanted to tell Louis that wasn't the half of it. He could sense what was happening from down the street. Something just took over then. He walked into the party, ignoring all of the  _what the fuck_  looks he was given, and headed right upstairs. Outside the bedroom door, he froze the threat first, something he'd learned to do as soon as his powers manifested. He had been told he needed to know how to defend himself, and this was the first time he actually had to do it.   
  
"Yes, I followed you. Now shut up, Louis." Harry said, making a silent promise to apologize for that later. "The freeze only lasts for five minutes."   
  
He closed his eyes and concentrated. He took away Isabel's memories of being an evil vampire and filled her head with extra knowledge. Knowledge that, yes, she was a vampire, but that she should take blood from donors, or go to hospitals to get blood. Anywhere as long as she didn't kill anyone or anything. When she unfroze, hopefully she wouldn't be evil and murderous, but instead try to stay out of trouble.   
  
Finally, he was done. He took his hand away from Isabel's forehead, thinking,  _Wow, this is the first time I've ever dealt with a vampire. I didn't even know they existed a few weeks ago._  He was surprised at how calm he felt.  
  
Next, Harry looked at Louis neck, putting his hand over the puncture wound. His eyes met Louis' briefly. "I'm going to heal this, okay?"   
  
Louis nodded, accepting it. This time wasn't like the sea urchin incident. This time he was consenting to magic being used on him.   
  
Harry concentrated hard enough that he was able to heal Louis' wound in just a few seconds. He'd probably lost a bit of blood because the vampire had drank from him, but other than that, he seemed alright. Maybe a little bit woozy.   
  
Once Harry pulled his hand away from Louis neck, he stared into Louis' eyes. He couldn't believe that he'd almost lost him. He couldn't believe that he hadn't gotten here sooner. If he had, maybe the vampire wouldn't have had the chance to drink from Louis. Maybe if he'd gotten here fast enough, he could have stopped them from coming into this room.   
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Harry blurted out. Suddenly, he wanted to yell at Louis for doing this to him. For keeping  _this_  a secret, and almost dying and disappearing without a trace. If Harry hadn't followed him tonight, he would have never seen Louis again. How could Louis do that to him? "Who the hell do you think you are? What are you, Louis the Vampire Slayer?"   
  
Louis blinked at him, then nodded once. "Something like that."   
  
"We're going home." Harry said, a little more coldly than he meant to. Still, if it frightened Louis enough that he didn't do this again, then that was good. He glanced at Louis expectantly and the older boy followed, surprisingly.   
  
They left the house without saying anything to the other party guests. They would have enough to deal with once Isabel unfroze. She wouldn't know what she was doing there. She was a blank slate now, but now full of more humane ideas. Though Harry had a feeling that trying to give vampires their humanity back was a lost cause, but it was something he had to try.   
  
As they walked down the street, they were silent for a few minutes. Once they were away from this neighborhood, they could call a car or something. But it was safer not to be seen here.   
  
"What are you?" Louis asked him quietly. When Harry didn't answer right away, he added, "Harry, tell me."   
  
"Does it matter? I saved your ass." Harry shot back. He was still so angry with Louis. He'd come so close to losing him. Suddenly, that was the only thing that mattered. He wouldn't wake up and make Louis breakfast anymore. He wouldn't get to play pranks on the other lads with Louis anymore. He wouldn't have Louis. And Harry needed him.   
  
"You don't need to save me. I'm  _trained_." Louis insisted, his voice weak. It was obvious he didn't believe what he was saying.   
  
"You were about to get killed." Harry replied. "You would have been if I didn't come along."   
  
"You shouldn't have followed me."   
  
Harry spun around to face him, and even though Louis was probably tired of being forced to go anywhere that night, he dragged Louis to the side, into a dark little alley, so that no one would see or hear them. He still faced Louis, but now he was absolutely livid. He was so  _ungrateful._    
  
"I followed you.  _So what_? That vampire was about to kill you, and you were going to let her! Did you even think about the rest of us? The other boys? Your family?  _Me_? I can't lose you, Louis. I  _can't_. I can heal wounds and wipe people's minds. I can make shit invisible. But I can't deal with you being dead."   
  
Louis didn't reply, but his eyes changed. His eyes had been wide with shock since they'd been in that bedroom, but at Harry's outburst, his face softened a considerable amount, the look in his eyes grew gentle, and despite all he'd been through that night, he cracked a tiny grin. Harry's eyes stayed on his.   
  
He recognized that look. He wasn't just trying to convince himself; he knew it was true. It was the look that he gave Louis all the time when he didn't realize he was doing it. It was Louis' version of  _that look_. The one that the fans called "hearteyes." And Louis was doing it right now.   
  
Harry had never thought he would be impulsive when it came to Louis. Sure, he'd done other stuff on a whim. Sometimes he didn't have a full-on plan when he did something. But right now, realizing that Louis was looking at him in  _that way_ , he suddenly didn't care. He didn't care about anything except Louis, and maybe it was because they were in a dramatic situation, but that didn't matter either.   
  
He grabbed the edges of Louis shirt and pulled him closer. Their eyes met briefly, with Harry giving Louis the chance to pull away. When he didn't, Harry kissed him.   
  
Louis didn't pull away even then. Instead, Louis kissed him back, opening his mouth slightly, and allowed himself a bit of an angle. Harry realized that one of Louis' hands was in his hair and the other was on his back as they pressed together. It almost felt like they were challenging each other. As far as first kisses went, this was pretty damn nice. It didn't matter that they were two guys and didn't really know what to do without being awkward about it. All that mattered was that he wanted to kiss Louis. Whatever came later, would come later. He loved this. It felt like this was meant to be.   
  
It didn't last as long as Harry would have liked it to, but he knew they couldn't stand in that alleyway forever. When he pulled his head back slightly, Louis' eyes were wide again. But now he was trying to catch his breath and he was smiling at the same time.   
  
"Let's go home." Harry said gently. He felt kind of stupid, because he must have had a massive grin on his face.   
  
Louis nodded. "Yeah. Come on, Curly."   
  
Together, they walked out of the alleyway.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
They lay on Harry's bed about an hour after they got home. They had briefly greeted the other lads, who were impressed with the fact that Louis was home early. They didn't see Niall, who was apparently hiding out in his own room. They headed up the stairs to Harry's room, and then just lay on his bed.   
  
Harry didn't hold him or anything, though Louis wasn't sure what to expect now. It was alright. He wasn't tired, but he was able calm down after everything that had just happened.   
  
It took him an hour to process it, and he still didn't even know everything. But Harry lay beside him, fully awake, so he decided to ask again.   
  
"Harry, what are you?"   
  
Harry sighed. "I can do magic. I can do a lot of stuff with it. We have covens and things like that. I, uh, yeah. I wasn't supposed to tell you. But since I saw you facing off vampires... Are you human?"   
  
"Yeah," Louis told him. And it was true. He  _was_. "Just trained to handle that stuff." Even though he hadn't shown it very well. It was sort of embarrassing, having to be rescued by his best friend. But Harry could do stuff that Louis couldn't. Louis didn't understand how he wasn't scared about it. Maybe it was because this was Harry. He should have begun to consider  _everything_ as soon as he saw Harry use his powers. This was what Harry was hiding. This was what Harry hadn't told him. He was going to have to tell Hannah, Adrian, and his family.   
  
And he realized that Harry was a part of the most powerful group of supernaturals. And that his mother, his sister, and probably most of his family fell into that group as well. His mum and Gemma were even more powerful than Harry, he realized.  _They_  were in the coven.   
  
But it all seemed so insignificant at the moment.   
  
"You're human and you fight vampires?"   
  
Louis took a deep breath. "Yes."   
  
It wasn't the truth. But telling Harry the truth would piss him off even more than Louis almost dying had. And when he thought about his actual job, he nearly cringed. He was going to get hell for not doing his job. He had  _tried_ , but Adrian wouldn't see that.   
  
"Well, that freaks me out, because you almost died tonight. If you were trained, couldn't you have gotten out of that situation?" Harry asked, glancing at him from the side. "I don't want that to happen again."   
  
"Harry, that was the first time anything like that has ever happened," Louis assured him. "Actually, I don't even kill them. I just warn them, tell them to get the hell away, stop hurting people." The lies came easily to him. He'd prepared them for this very situation, even though he hated telling Harry these things. He reached over and took Harry's hand to reassure him. "I'm  _fine_. I know I was an ass before, but thank you for saving my life."   
  
Instead of responding, Harry sat up. He stared ahead for a moment before turning around and looking down at Louis. He nodded, leaned down, and then his mouth was on Louis' for the second time that night.   
  
And Louis let him do it. More than let him do it, actually. He circled his arms around Harry's neck, pulling him closer. He opened his mouth, letting Harry's tongue in. It felt like they were exploring each other, and their mouths were just the beginning of that. Louis sighed into the kiss and smiled against Harry's mouth.   
  
He had been slightly worried and a little weirded out by the possibility of talking about all the strangeness in their relationship. But he had known the talk was inevitable. He just wasn't sure where it would lead.   
  
This was so much better than talking.


	7. Chapter 7

When Harry opened his eyes, he blinked a few times and stretched before he sat up. It was bright out and he squinted at the window, and he felt like it was going to be a good day. He  _felt_ good.   
  
Then he looked over at the other side of the bed and realized he was alone. He let out a sigh and frowned. When had Louis gotten up and left? Harry remembered waking up briefly in the middle of the night and Louis was sleeping next to him, so Harry knew he hadn't left that early. But Harry had assumed that Louis would stay until they both woke up.   
  
Not that Louis  _had_  to stay. Harry had just thought that he would. Then again, they had only kissed. For quite awhile.   
  
As he climbed out of bed, memories from the previous night came back to him. He had saved Louis from a vampire who was about to kill him. And after that he'd kissed Louis. And  _Louis had kissed him back._  Harry still couldn't believe that had happened, that he'd had the balls to kiss Louis. He wasn't sure how he got to be so brave, but he was glad about it. Unless Louis wasn't.   
  
He wasn't sure Louis was. Last night, Harry had wanted  _more_. Their kisses were lovely. Sweet. But after awhile, Harry wanted  _intense_. Just as intense as their kiss in the alley had been. Maybe he even wanted more than that. But Louis kept being so gentle,  _holding back_ , and Harry wasn't sure what was wrong with him. Maybe they weren't supposed to do this. Maybe they weren't  _meant_  to. Maybe it was a sign that they were just turning to each other because they weren't dating anyone else at the moment.   
  
But... that was  _stupid_. Louis wouldn't have kissed him if that were true.   
  
And there was something else that he remembered. Louis had said that he  _fought vampires_ , but he said that he didn't kill them. It didn't explain the deaths that followed him everywhere. But Harry hadn't wanted to ask about it last night. Last night, his mouth had been to preoccupied with Louis'. And he did trust Louis. If he said he wasn't killing anyone, then he wasn't. Simple as that.   
  
More little doubts, thoughts, and fears kept coming to mind as he grabbed his towel and headed to the bathroom. When he got to the bathroom, he found that someone was in there. He knocked to see how much longer whoever it was would be. He didn't want to be  _too_  annoying, but besides showering he did have to go to the bathroom as well.   
  
"Hold on!" Louis called from the other side of the door. Instantly, Harry froze. He suddenly found that he couldn't move. Well, he  _could_ , but after last night, just being around Louis or hearing his voice made Harry feel different. Considering how fast his heart was racing, he was pretty sure it was a good different.   
  
When Louis opened the door and saw Harry standing there, he became still as well. For a moment, they just regarded each other, both of them unsure of what to say. Harry grew worried all over again.   
  
But then a smile broke out over Louis' face. It was a shy smile that Louis had never given him before, and between that and how wet he was, with just a towel around his waist, Harry couldn't help but smile back. "Hi," Harry finally said. His voice was a little shaky, but it was alright. He didn't mind so much.   
  
"I didn't want to wake you," Louis blurted out, "I saw you sleeping and you were... cute. I was going to come back and get you eventually, I just... I wanted to let you sleep because it's nice when you're sleeping, and I just- I guess I creepily watched you for awhile, and then-"   
  
"Louis," Harry replied quietly with a chuckle, "It's  _fine_." Really, it was. If Louis was calling him  _cute_ , Harry would accept any explanation. Louis had never called him that before, at least not in a serious way. He  _had_  pinched Harry's cheeks and said  _you're so cute, Curly_  once or twice, but this was completely new.   
  
Louis blinked, and then looked away, somewhat sheepishly. "I'm gonna go get dressed. See you downstairs?"   
  
"Yeah." Harry nodded automatically. He actually wondered how long they would be able to keep silent before the other guys could look at them and just guess something had happened. Still, he knew they  _would_  keep quiet, at least until they talked. Because even though they had kissed, Harry had no idea what they were to each other now. Best friends? Always. Something more? He hoped.   
  
  
  
After his quick shower, he headed downstairs and found that Louis wasn't at the dining room table yet. Niall, Liam, and Zayn sat at the table eating their food, looking at magazines, and stalking their twitter mentions. Well, Harry couldn't see what they were doing on their phones, but he assumed it because that was what they were  _always_  doing.   
  
Finally, Zayn looked up and smirked. "I guess congratulations are in order."   
  
" _What_?" Harry asked, completely shocked. How could Zayn  _know_? Had a photographer followed them? It seemed impossible, because he was pretty sure no one had noticed them in the dark alley. They hadn't been loud when they were kissing last night. So how could Zayn possibly  _know?_  "Why?" he asked, desperate to set it right.   
  
"You got Louis home before four in the morning. You deserve a medal." Zayn explained. Niall laughed at that.   
  
 _Oh_. Harry realized that he was going to overreact to everything suggestive until the other lads knew what was going on. He sat down at the table next to Liam, who had been quiet during Zayn's quip. "I guess my cover is blown. I didn't go to a burglary convention. I went to go find Louis. Brought him home, though."   
  
"Why'd you go after him?" Liam asked, finally looking up from his phone. "Did you just decide to surprise him?"   
  
"Something like that." Harry said, making sure not to reveal anything. He was keeping two secrets now. He was always pretty careful about what he said, but he knew he could also blurt out anything at any second accidentally. It wasn't normally his habit, but it was Niall's, and they'd been living together long enough that they did pick up a few of each other's habits.   
  
Harry suddenly heard footsteps, and turned to find Louis in the kitchen in the doorway. He flashed Harry a little smile before looking at the rest of their friends. "I'm going out for awhile. Don't worry, I'll be back for rehearsal. I'll text you if I get held up." With that, he turned and began to walk toward the front door.   
  
Louis was going  _out_? Harry had assumed that Louis would just want to laze about around the house until they had to go to rehearsal. Suddenly, he grew worried. Was he going to try and find Isabel? Was he going after another vampire? That made no sense at eight in the morning, but considering they both knew more about each other's secrets now, Harry accepted that there was something Louis  _had_  to do. Still, he was terrified at the thought of a group of vampires targeting Louis, and he felt the need to go after him again.   
  
He stood up and followed Louis out of the room and to the door. "Louis."   
  
Louis looked over at him, and gave him a soft smile. "Harry, relax. It's fine. I promise. I'm going to be back by two. Maybe even half one. I have a meeting with the people I work with. That's all. You don't have to worry."   
  
Harry nodded. "I just... after last night... Can you blame me?"   
  
"I know, Harry." Louis replied. He reached out and for a moment Harry thought Louis was going to hug him. But instead, Louis put his hands on Harry's shoulders and stepped forward, planting a quick kiss on Harry's lips. Well, it was quick but it didn't  _feel_  quick. Once it happened, the day became a hundred times better. He honestly hadn't been sure if Louis would kiss him again so soon, or if  _he_  would have to do it. When Louis pulled back, Harry grinned like an idiot. Louis just chuckled, "I'll see you later. And I  _promise_  to text you if anything happens."   
  
"I can find you if something does," Harry assured him.   
  
Louis smiled again, and kissed his forehead. "I'll see you later, Curly."   
  
Harry watched him leave,  _still smiling_ , and then turned around.   
  
And, of course, Niall poked his head out of the doorway that led into the room. "So yeah, I didn't mean to hear anything, I was just gonna walk by, but-"   
  
Harry waved his hand as a signal for Niall to approach him, and he did. As soon as Niall reached him, Harry asked, "Yeah, uh... what did you see?"   
  
" _I saw Louis kiss you_ ," Niall replied in a hushed, but quick voice. "Does he do that all the time? Do the other guys know? Why doesn't anyone tell me anything? Are you two together? Why haven't you told me?"   
  
Harry couldn't help but laugh. "I think we should have that talk I promised you yesterday."   
  
They told Zayn and Liam that they were going upstairs and would be back in a bit. Their two friends were so pre-occupied with their own phones and conversation that they barely even noticed. Well, Liam noticed, but for whatever reason pretended not to. Harry was sure he saw Liam look up with a bit of worry when Harry said he and Niall were going upstairs.   
  
As soon as they reached Harry's room, Niall flung himself onto Harry's bed while Harry sound-proofed the room in case Liam or Zayn happened to walk by. However, Niall didn't know this and just dove right into the conversation, "So, yeah. You and Louis, huh?"   
  
"Let's talk about you first." Harry said, changing the subject because he wasn't too sure of what to say.   
  
Niall let out a long sigh and said, "I feel like we're a bunch of girls, gossiping and shit. Okay. So, yeah, I do like Liam. I know I shouldn't, 'cause he's not gay, and he told me he didn't want me to like him, but it's like... he's  _Liam_. I can't help it."   
  
Harry nodded. He could definitely see Liam getting ahead of himself and telling Niall not to like him, just because Liam was awkward like that. Harry was pretty sure that if Liam knew how he felt about Niall, he would probably regret what he had said. Harry considered the looks that Liam had been giving Niall for the past few weeks. He supposed they could be described as protective, and Liam would probably say that they were as well. After all, Liam had probably never had feelings for another guy, or at least acknowledged that he did. He was the type to hide behind the guise of dating a girl, even if he knew that he wanted a guy. The thought worried Harry and kind of made him feel sorry for Niall, who knew what he wanted.   
  
"You can't help who you like." Harry agreed, sitting next to Niall on the bed. It really did feel like they were gossiping. "I think... maybe you shouldn't give up."   
  
"And torture myself? No thanks." Niall sat up. "I can't do that. But he got really annoying when I started talking about Xavier, the guy I've been talking to online. He never gave a shit when I would hook up with girls. But Liam isn't homophobic, I mean, he went to a gay club with me."   
  
"So what does that tell you?" Harry asked. He was astounded that Niall didn't  _get it_.   
  
Niall shrugged. "That Liam is weird and my thing for him is hopeless. Alright. I'm tired of talking about my pathetic life. Are you and Louis together?"   
  
"I don't know." Harry told him honestly, "We didn't do anything before last night. But I think I've fancied him for awhile. It's stupid, but I put it out of my mind."   
  
As he said it, Harry realized that was definitely true. It didn't matter what his sexuality was, if he'd liked other guys, or girls. It didn't matter what either of them had done in past relationships, or when they weren't in relationships. When Harry looked at Louis, it was different. Louis was different than how everyone saw him, and it wasn't just about the supernatural thing. He had always wondered why he felt so  _much_  when he was around Louis, and it all made sense now. He wondered if that was how Louis felt. He  _hoped_  it was.   
  
It made him want to trust Louis. He  _did_  trust Louis. It made him want to believe what he said. It  _sounded_  believable enough.   
  
Why did he have to think about this? Why couldn't he just accept it? Louis had given him  _some_  explanation. If there was more to tell, Louis would tell him, he was sure of it.   
  
"It's just weird. Like... we're talking about guys." Niall said suddenly, frowning. "I can honestly say I didn't see this coming."   
  
Harry smirked. "Not just guys either. Our  _bandmates_."  
  
Niall and shook his head. "Things were a lot less complicated when we were in it for the women."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Louis didn't have to go very far. Hannah had just gotten in that morning and was staying at a hotel in London. Louis knew exactly where to go because it was the one hotel run by an ex-tagger from their organization. The hotel manager always made exceptions for them. They could check in and out at any time they wanted if they stayed in the hotel; sometimes it was necessary.   
  
He headed right up to Hannah's hotel room and just as always, she answered right away. She smiled when she opened the door and saw him. "I think we see each other more now than we did when we were together."   
  
"Which is weird because we worked together then as well," Louis replied as Hannah let him into the room. He tried to smile back at her. "So I have some stuff to talk to you about before we meet with Adrian."   
  
"Sure," Hannah set her suitcase on the bed, opened it, and began to go through it, most likely looking for something."   
  
"It's a little weird." Louis said cautiously. He knew he shouldn't talk to Hannah about this. After all, she was his ex, and there had to be some kind of unspoken rule about this sort of thing. But she was the only one who could understand the full situation.   
  
She looked up and rolled her eyes. "After the things we've both seen? Try me." Then she continued sorting through her clothes.   
  
"I kissed Harry."   
  
 _That_  certainly made her pause. She stood very still and then looked up at him again. "Well. A gay ex-boyfriend. I have to admit, that's a new one for me."   
  
"I'm not-" Louis began, and then he realized that it was hopeless to try and argue. If he was honest with himself, he didn't know  _what_  he was. Yeah, he would talk about fit girls plenty, but there was the fact that he'd found himself kissing Harry last night. He'd  _enjoyed_  it, even though he did feel slightly guilty about lying to Harry about what he did. And that itself was the whole problem. "Yeah. Okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you like this, but you're the only person who could understand this, Han."   
  
She squinted at him suspiciously, and Louis was sure that she thought he was calling her a lesbian. "How so?"   
  
"Because Harry is a supernatural." Louis admitted. He felt bad about telling Harry's secret, but he had to admit to himself that he trusted Hannah more than everyone else that he worked with. They had secrets with each other that they hadn't told Adrian, or even their parents, and he knew that if everyone found out about this,  _she_  wouldn't be the one who told. Louis was still trying to figure things out, and it didn't help that their organization didn't like its members to become romantically involved - or even  _friends_  - with supernaturals. It could interfere with their jobs. Louis didn't care if being with Harry interfered with his job, but he  _did_  want Harry to be safe. That was the biggest reason he hadn't gone a step further with Harry the previous night. He knew Harry wanted to. But Louis wasn't about to go further if he couldn't be himself around Harry. He cared about Harry too much for that.   
  
Also, there was the fact that he was still trying to wrap his head around the whole gay thing. Things began to make sense when he kissed Harry and he'd definitely enjoyed it. But he actually had no idea where to go from there. Actually, that wasn't true. He had  _some_  idea, but he was a little embarrassed as well. It wasn't like he'd ever done anything with a guy before. Harry made him want to try, but he didn't want to be wrong about anything.   
  
Hannah didn't look too shocked, but tried to be a little surprised for Louis' benefit, which he appreciated. "He's a supernatural. What kind?"   
  
"A witch." Louis replied with a sigh. Harry hadn't actually called himself that - he hadn't labeled himself as anything - but that was their name for Harry's kind. They labeled all supernaturals. Vampires, shapeshifters, witches, fae, psychics.  _Everything_  had a name, even if they didn't name themselves.   
  
She took a deep breath;  _that actually caught her by surprise_. "The coven-joining, most powerful supernatural group, changing the course of history and mankind's memories, messing with the universe, kind of witch?"   
  
"Is there any other kind?" Louis sat on the bed now, re-processing all of this. He cared about Harry so much, and yet -  _this_  was what he was. And he wasn't allowed to be with someone like Harry. He had to admit that his family and friends would care less than Adrian's circle would, but that didn't mean he could just go against the rules. "It means Gemma and Anne are witches as well. You wouldn't think it, looking at them."   
  
"You wouldn't think we were taggers, looking at us." Hannah reminded him as she sat next to him on the bed. "For the record, this hasn't changed how I see any of them. I think they're good people, just mixed up in something they can't get out of and don't realize that they should. Louis, you could try to get Harry not to join the coven. His powers will fade eventually, and he won't be a threat, and they won't care about him."   
  
"There's a slight problem with that. Harry doesn't know that I know as much as I do." Louis said dryly, and then launched into an explanation of what had happened the previous night. He told her about how Isabel had gotten him alone - something they  _never_  were supposed to do with vampires - and how Harry had come in and rescued him. And then how he told Harry that he was a vampire slayer.   
  
At that, Hannah burst out laughing. Louis frowned until she calmed down and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, but  _vampire slayer_? And he believed you? Louis the Vampire Slayer? _Really_? You hate hurting  _anything_."   
  
"I told him that I usually just get them to back off. It seemed to work with that dream he had when I confronted the ghosts. I told them off then as well. Then again, you can't do much with ghosts to begin with."  
  
Hannah put an arm around his shoulder. "Oh Louis, you've made a mess of things. It's alright, I'll help you out as much as I can. We just need to get through this meeting with Adrian. Just tell him that you found Isabel and she got away. No need to mention Harry."   
  
"He's going to ask me about Harry." Louis knew it was true. Adrian was impatient, and every few hours, he sent Louis an email or a text asking about any progress he had made. They were automated messages, but he was sure that Adrian read the replies. "And I know what he's going to tell me to do."   
  
  
  
  
Like the other day, they sat in the chairs in front of Adrian's desk. Last time they weren't in London, but today's meeting was. Adrian had a lot of desks. They all looked the same.   
  
Immediately, Adrian began to ask them about their assignments. Louis reported that, to his disappointment, Isabel had gotten away.   
  
Adrian was silent for a moment, and to Louis' dread, it looked like Adrian was staring right through him. Like Adrian could see everything in his mind that he was hiding. Every secret he had just learned, and everything that had happened between him and Harry. It was scary, and Louis would never get used to it.   
  
Finally, Adrian asked, "And what of Harry? Did you find out anything?"   
  
It took all of his strength not to look over at Hannah for  _some_  sort of comfort. Still, he knew his silence was suspicious. "No," he said, his voice higher pitched than normal. He cringed. Why was it so easy to lie to Harry but nearly impossible to lie to Adrian?   
  
"So you did." Adrian smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Interesting, especially that you're protecting him. Let me tell you right now, Louis, that if you don't tell me, there are ways I can find out. You're not  _actually_  protecting him. What is he? A shapeshifter? Fae?" Louis shook his head. "... A witch?" At that, Louis froze, and he knew that told Adrian everything. Louis silently swore to himself and hated  _everything_  at that moment. "He's a witch! How intriguing. How did you find out?"   
  
"He told me." Louis said quietly. Now he  _did_  look over at Hannah. Her sympathetic eyes bore into his and he wanted to hide. He wanted to take it back. He wanted to walk out of the room and disappear and never see Adrian again. He wanted to go find Harry and bring him away somewhere they couldn't be found.   
  
"He  _told_  you!" Adrian echoed, amused. "He must be rather fond of you. You do know that witches only tell humans they're  _very_  close to. I'm glad you found out about him, Louis. That means that your part of this meeting wasn't a  _total_  waste."   
  
Louis crossed his arms and hunched forward a bit. "I usually get all my jobs done."   
  
"After tonight's job, you have a new one that shouldn't be too difficult."   
  
Louis felt his eyes widen and he knew what was coming. But he couldn't do it. He  _wouldn't_. Not to Harry.   
  
"Tag him."   
  
"I... I  _can't_  tag Harry." Louis protested. "He's my best mate."   
  
"Tag him and then keep an eye on him until he turns eighteen." Adrian continued, completely dismissing what Louis had said. It was what he always did, so Louis wasn't surprised he did it. Still, it was so goddamn annoying. "I assume his family are members of a coven? He can lead you to them. Then you can tag them as well."   
  
"Adrian," Hannah interrupted, "I'm not sure if this is a good idea. They're best friends. This is difficult enough for Louis as it is."   
  
"If I want your input, Miss Walker, I will ask for it." Adrian said, not even looking at her. His eyes were still focused on Louis' and as much as Louis  _wanted_  to look away, he couldn't. Everything Adrian did pissed him off, and that included addressing girls by their last name, while he addressed boys by their first names. "You will tag Harry Styles. If you don't, I will find someone who will."   
  
"Adrian, I don't know..."   
  
"And use the fact that he's fond of you to your advantage. It's true that people like us shouldn't necessarily allow ourselves to spend much time with supernaturals, but I'm aware that you and Harry are a special case. So let him believe that you're that fond of him as well. Use him as much as you can and gather information." Adrian leaned forward, smirking. He  _knew_  he had power over Louis. He knew it and he loved it. He reveled in it. He knew that he was screwing Louis over, and that Louis could do  _nothing_  about it. But another thought came to mind. Adrian was essentially giving Louis permission to be with Harry. It was the best and the worst thing that Adrian could do to him. Adrian's smile grew wider and much more terrifying as he used his favorite catchphrase. "You know what they say. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
They had begun their rehearsal without Louis, but to Harry's dismay. Niall kept looking over at him as if Harry had an explanation. Harry had to admit that he was tempted to leave and go find Louis, but he knew he couldn't just abandon the guys. It was a crappy situation and he  _just wanted Louis to come back already._    
  
On their break Niall approached Harry with a look of concern. "Harry, what's going on? Didn't Louis say he'd be back?"   
  
Harry shook his head. "I don't know."   
  
Zayn walked over to them as well. He didn't seem concerned, but Harry could tell that Zayn thought the whole thing was obnoxious. Harry wished he could explain everything to his friends. "Can you call Louis or something? His habit of disappearing is really starting to get annoying."  
  
"I'll talk to him." Harry promised. He looked toward the door again, and then over at Liam, who was on the other side of the stage. He was still purposefully avoiding Niall, and Niall was doing the same. Still, Niall could play it off as just not bothering to talk to Liam. Liam, however, was extremely obvious about not talking to Niall. He was taking on any job he could in order to avoid going near him, and he hadn't sat next to him in the car either. Harry wondered if he had to have a talk with Liam as well.   
  
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice from behind where they stood. "Hello, boys! Miss me?"   
  
Louis had come in through the other door. They all turned to him and even though Harry was too busy looking at Louis, Zayn must have scowled. Because Louis gave Zayn and Niall an apologetic look before walking up to them and grabbing Harry's arm. "Can I talk to you, Harry?"   
  
Harry sighed and nodded, because obviously he would say yes if Louis asked him to do something. He told the other boys they would be back in just a few minutes. Niall smirked, but Zayn just looked annoyed. Liam was too busy pretending not to notice the whole scene.   
  
They walked backstage and Harry directed Louis to his dressing room. As soon as they got there, Louis locked the door behind them and then faced him, a weird little smile on his face.   
  
"How did your meeting go?" Harry asked, completely aware that Louis didn't want to talk about it. Well, more like he  _couldn't_. Harry knew that some things weren't going to change, even if some things had. Harry knew that he probably wouldn't be able to share any coven-like things with Louis come February, but right now, since Louis knew, Harry could tell him whatever he wanted.   
  
Louis shrugged. "I got shit for not doing my job the right way. It's alright. I deserve it."   
  
"That's  _not_  alright," Harry replied, taking a step toward him. "You almost died. I almost lost you, and you get shit for it? Honestly, can I call up your boss and tell them to piss off? Because I will."   
  
Louis grinned, stepped closer, and then grabbed the front of Harry's shirt. Louis tilted his face up a bit and Harry understood right away, his lips touching Louis' own. Harry's mind did a complete 180 and suddenly all he knew, all he could concentrate on, was Louis. He wrapped his arms around Louis' waist, pulling his hips forward so that they had some groin-to-groin contact. Louis stopped kissing back for just a moment, probably to register what Harry had just done. But Louis continued kissing Harry soon enough, and suddenly Louis was kissing Harry _harder_ , and more passionately, grabbing at his arms, and then his hair, and then his shirt again. Louis' hands were never satisfied, but Harry liked that they were everywhere.   
  
Encouraged, Harry pulled Louis back with him, over to the wall. Once against the surface, he opened his mouth to let Louis explore, and Louis reciprocated. Harry's tongue found its way into Louis' mouth and they kissed even harder. God, this was amazing. Louis was  _amazing_.   
  
A few moments later, Louis pulled back, his face a little flushed. "Harry, I have to let you know... I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm just glad we've taken up the habit of snogging in between rehearsal sets."   
  
"Me too." Harry leaned forward and kissed Louis on the cheek. "I don't really know what I'm doing either, but it's fine. We'll figure it out."   
  
Louis gave him a relieved smile. "You're too good to me, Hazza. Alright, I just... I'm sorry. Especially about last night. I'm working on fixing everything, but I can't yet."   
  
Harry looked into Louis' eyes and knew there was more that Louis wasn't telling him. But Harry was confident that would come with time.   
  
  
  
When they began rehearsing again, everything seemed normal, other than Liam's avoidance of Niall. It looked like one of them had calmed Zayn down, so Zayn smiled  _just a bit_  when Louis and Harry had come back. Niall had the biggest smile on his face and was probably trying not to laugh. Liam ignored everything and just took his position on the stage, on Harry's side.   
  
Throughout rehearsal, Harry kept sneaking peaks at Louis when Louis couldn't see him. He smiled whenever Louis did something even slightly funny, and realized how fast his heart was racing. And this was just rehearsal. He knew that Louis was going to put even more into their gig and this both excited Harry and made him nervous.   
  
Those fans that saw  _that look_  in his eyes all the time were bound to get some more material later because he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself.   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Niall was grateful for Smart Phones. They were probably the greatest invention ever. Just before he was supposed to be on stage, he sat in the dressing room, checking the dating site on his phone. He grinned, amused that Xavier wanted to talk to chat with him right now. What was Niall supposed to tell him?  _Sorry, but I'm about to perform on stage, you can see clips of it on YouTube later if you want._    
  
He settled for  _Sorry...about to go see my friends._  At least that was true.  
  
There was an instant reply.  _Wat r ur friends like? u never talk about them._  
  
The problem was that he couldn't, not that he didn't want to talk about them. He began to type a reply as there was a knock on the door. He shouted, "Come in!"   
  
The door opened and Liam stood there, trying to smile. "Hey. Can I talk to you for a sec?"   
  
Niall was still annoyed at him, but he had to admit that it was difficult to stay mad at the guy. He could be annoying one minute and then the next he could say something hilarious. Plus, it was Liam. He couldn't stay mad, simply because he was Liam.  
  
Liam stepped in and closed the door, then stared down at Niall. "I'm sorry."   
  
"What?"   
  
"I'm sorry I judged Xavier." Liam told him. "I shouldn't have. I don't know why I did it. It's just, you're my mate, and I guess I just want you to have the best. Or something."   
  
Niall considered that. And the fact that Liam was owning up to his mistake was actually  _really_  nice. He wanted to point out that Liam hadn't seemed to care when Niall would meet up with girls all the time. Now that he was trying to be himself, Liam seemed weird about it. But instead of telling him all of the things he'd thought about a hundred times since their fight, and even things he'd told Harry, he said, "Alright."  
  
Liam grinned, and their eyes locked. "Great. Thanks."   
  
This was a bad idea, Niall told himself. It was a bad idea to like Liam and a worse idea to  _stare_  at him. But Liam made no effort to move, and Niall wondered if he was reading the situation wrong.  _Why_  was Liam staring at him? And... why had Harry told him not to give up on Liam?   
  
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and the moment was gone. Liam turned to open the door and found Louis with his arm around a girl who looked about eighteen. She was wearing a backstage pass around her neck and a huge smile. Louis winked at them and said, "Boys, this is Mary. And you know how I love women named Mary."   
  
Liam chuckled, but Niall squinted at them. If he had been drunk, or stupid, he probably would have blurted out, "But what about Harry?" Because there was something about the way Louis was standing with the girl. It was intimate and Louis seemed rather proud of himself. Niall had to admit that the girl was kind of hot, but at the same time the whole thing was so confusing to him. Why would Louis kiss Harry this morning, but then do this? It was possible he was just being overly friendly, but Niall still had his suspicions.   
  
"Nice to meet you." Niall found himself saying, standing to shake Mary's hand. "I'm Niall."   
  
"I know." she said happily. "And Liam as well. I'm a big fan!"   
  
Again, Niall looked at Louis. No admission of anything on his face at all. So when he said goodbye and that he was going to take Mary back to the front so she could find her seat, Niall took off after them, and in turn Liam followed  _him_. They were far away and miraculously quiet enough that Louis didn't hear him, and stayed behind a corner, peaking out.   
  
"Why are you spying on them?" Liam whispered into Niall's ear. God, it was like Liam was  _trying_  to make Niall fancy him. Liam's breath against his ear was a bit of a distraction but Niall tried his hardest to concentrate. Now Louis was hugging Mary, and she had his head on Louis' shoulder. Strangely enough, he felt a bit protective of Harry right now. That at least provided him with a distraction from Liam.   
  
"Niall?" Liam tried again. This time he didn't whisper into Niall's ear, and Niall wasn't sure if he was grateful or not.  
  
"Shhh!" Niall whispered. "I need to listen."   
  
Liam peeked around the corner, too. Niall couldn't stop staring. Now Louis had pulled back but his hand was on Mary's arm.  _Under her sleeve._  And then she flinched.   
  
"Did he just pinch her?" Liam asked quietly, more calm now.   
  
"I'm so sorry!" Louis told her in the distance. "I didn't mean to do that. I thought there was a bug on you." And for some reason, Mary didn't seem to care. She smiled back at him and assured him it was fine. Then she told him to break a leg and walked out.   
  
Louis began to turn around and Niall grabbed Liam's shirt and pulled him away, back to the dressing room.   
  
"He pinched her." Liam repeated, perplexed. "That was his I'm-lying-but-making-a-joke-to-cover-it voice. He definitely pinched her. He  _pinched a fan_. Why would he do that?"   
  
Niall shut the door behind him. " _Liam._  I don't know. And do you think they hooked up?"   
  
Liam shrugged at that. "Don't know. They could have. You know Louis. Sometimes he does that. Sometimes he's just a bit odd. Why? You think that he pinched her because she's a bad kisser?"   
  
Niall shook his head, took out his phone, and typed a text to Harry. ' _we need 2 talk after the show okk._ '  
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o  
  
  
  
Louis watched Mary as she headed to the seating area, feeling slightly guilty. It was clear that she wasn't a huge threat to anybody, but that was his job. Take care of the non-threatening supernaturals. And Mary was a shapeshifter. She could shift into a bird.  
  
It had been pure luck that she was a One Direction fan. He had followed her on Twitter and sent her a message telling her that she was the winner of a backstage pass. She had been so excited and eager about it.   
  
The thing about tagging was that the supernaturals felt it a little bit. But as soon as it settled deep into their skin, they barely did. In fact, it gave Louis a little power over her. He was able to assure her that he didn't mean to hurt her at all, even though it was painfully obvious there hadn't been a bug on her skin. Still, when supernaturals were tagged, they believed things like that when people like Louis told them.   
  
After standing there for a few minutes, he made his way to the stage and found the other boys standing together. Harry gave Louis the sweetest smile, and Louis wanted to die. He honestly did, because there was no way he could tag Harry. Actually, there was no way he could keep this up if it meant that Harry would be upset with him.   
  
He only had a few options as far as he knew.   
  
He could leave the band and not talk to the lads anymore. That wasn't an actual option. He needed these boys. He needed them so he could stay a little bit sane.   
  
He could slowly fade himself out of the whole organization. He was lucky enough to have music as an excuse. He could claim he didn't have time to tag anymore, leave honorably. But he knew there were more dangerous supernaturals out there that  _did_  need to be tagged. Even if he left the tagging up to others, he couldn't leave. If Isabel was right, he needed to watch his back. He couldn't get rid of all of his resources now.   
  
He could avoid Harry as much as possible. He could stop kissing him and touching him and looking at him. He could let Harry believe that he didn't want to try this potential relationship out. But he  _did_. And then there was the fact that Adrian would probably kill him if he stopped. More importantly, he didn't want to see Harry upset.   
  
Either way, he was fucked. Completely and totally fucked.


	8. Chapter 8

"Tell me everything." Harry said as soon as he shut the door to his bedroom. He had gotten Niall's text right before the show that night and spent the whole time wondering what Niall could have to tell him.   
  
Niall sat on Harry's bed, fidgeting a bit, and then as if he realized that he was doing it, deliberately placed his hands on the bed. "Did you meet the fan who won the backstage pass? Mary?"   
  
Harry shook his head. He wondered where Niall was going with this. He knew that Louis had been in charge of this one, but he had been busy rehearsing a little extra as well as getting himself together. He'd been told he seemed a little distracted. And, well, he was. But that was most definitely Louis' fault. "No, I was too busy to meet her unfortunately. Why?"   
  
"He took her round to meet me and Liam," Niall said, not meeting his eyes. "His arm was around her and he was being really flirty with her, that's all. I mean, I just... it was weird. He was acting weird."   
  
Harry told himself that there was no reason to panic. Louis was a flirtatious person. "So... he was being friendly and showing her around. Sounds like typical Louis." he told Niall, "No offense. I'm not saying your  _feeling_  was wrong or anything, but-"   
  
"There's more." Niall's eyes finally met Harry's. "Liam and I followed them. Well, I did, and Liam followed me. 'Cause, you know, he was being flirty with her and I was looking out for you. Anyway, we saw him pinch her."   
  
" _What_?"   
  
Niall's face reddened and Harry could tell that Niall was beginning to regret this. He probably thought that Harry thought it was stupid. But Harry had given up thinking anything was stupid after what had happened the previous night. "She was wearing this short-sleeve shirt. He put his fingers under one of the sleeve and pinched her. Well, I didn't see what he did with his fingers, but she acted like he pinched her and Liam agrees with me."   
  
Harry pursed his lips. He wondered if this had anything to do with the vampire thing. Though it didn't add up. Vampires were dangerous creatures - whether they were evil or not. A human couldn't just go around doing stuff like that... stuff children did to each other. "He pinched her? If that's true, maybe he should have stayed in school longer. Clearly didn't learn what he should have when he was seven." He honestly wasn't sure what to say. How was he supposed to react to Niall saying Louis pinched a fan?   
  
"And then she just  _didn't care_ ," Niall added. "He said there was a bug, and she was just like, 'Alright then.' It was the weirdest thing ever. It was like Louis was telling her what to think without actually doing it. She was, like... robotic about it. Has Louis been acting weird lately?"   
  
"Weird doesn't begin to cover it." Harry said and sighed. He couldn't tell Niall what was going on, but he could at least acknowledge that he was listening to him. "Thanks, man. I appreciate you telling me. I'll talk to Louis, alright?"   
  
Niall nodded, swallowing nervously. "Let me know how it goes. Louis isn't going to, like... come and pinch us in our sleep, is he? Maybe I should lock my door."   
  
"He won't." Harry assured him with a little smile. Hopefully Harry would be able to keep Louis occupied.   
  
  
  
Harry's plan was to get Louis to tell him everything that he was hiding. He wasn't sure  _how_  he was going to do that, and using magic on him kind of seemed wrong in this situation. Still, on some level, he wanted to believe what Louis had told him. That all he did was go talk vampires into backing off. Though that didn't seem likely. He'd seen Isabel, heard her rage from down the street with amplified hearing. The more he thought about it, he knew that Louis hadn't told him the truth. There was no reasoning with an angry vampire. Especially not when a human was telling them what to do. He didn't even need to ask his mum and sister about vampires to know that.  
  
He didn't tell them about what had happened. He kept it to himself, though he probably shouldn't have. He just knew that if he told his family about their experience with Isabel, they would tell him something he didn't want to hear. He didn't tell Vanessa about what had happened either, even though she kept asking him about it. He did, however, ask her if she had heard about any other deaths that had followed them around. Because maybe that was a coincidence, but it was still  _really strange_. She told him that other than that one girl, she hadn't heard about anything, and he took that as a good sign.   
  
Still, when asked Louis to talk late that night, he planned to get the truth out of him somehow.   
  
The other lads had gone to bed, and Harry knew that they probably should as well. But there was never a perfect time for anything, and he knew that. The past few days, they had been lucky not to have any band commitments, but now that they were beginning to do gigs all over again and had to travel again for a few weeks, they had to make time for certain things whenever they could. And that, of course, meant time for each other as well.   
  
He and Louis had already planned to get together and "hang out" in Harry's room. They were still getting used to this "being together" thing that they had fallen into yesterday and today, and they needed to talk about that anyway. They had to discuss what they actually were to each other. Whether they should keep doing this. Because amidst all of the snogging, the touching, the grabbing each other's hair, they were in a pretty successful boyband that had fans who had set their hopes on One Direction falling in love with them. And it wasn't like Harry disliked the fans. He  _loved_  the fans. They were what kept the band going. But it was a tough thing to consider. Stay apart for the sake of the band, or stay with Louis and risk the band. It was entirely possible that they could hide their relationship, but he knew that would be difficult.   
  
There were, of course,  _some_  fans who would be thrilled to see them together. They had been saying since the beginning that "Larry Stylinson" should be real. Harry and Louis had loved to mess with them a bit, flirting over Twitter, being extremely loud about their bromance in video diaries. But Harry had no idea they'd actually  _analyzed_  how the two of them looked at each other. The Larry Stylinson fans weren't easily fooled. They could tell what was done on purpose and what wasn't. Though that didn't stop them from getting excited about the interaction between Harry and Louis that  _was_  done on purpose. It was amusing and kind of sweet in a strange way.   
  
Louis came into Harry's room with a slight smile on his face. Harry studied him, and realized that Louis seemed somewhat nervous. It was weird how the guy could yo-yo back and forth between emotions. It didn't just include his persona in videos versus real life, but now he was doing it with Harry. Harry found it endearing, but he did want to know what was going on,  _if_  there was anything. "Hi," Louis said quietly, closing the door. He went to lock it, but Harry pointed to the lock and got there first. Louis turned around. "Still have to get used to that.".   
  
Harry smiled. "You will. Don't worry, I won't use magic around you much if you don't want me to. It's just... kind of fun. I can manipulate molecular structure and do all this cool stuff. Keeps me from getting bored sometimes."   
  
Louis nodded with understanding. "Seems harmless enough."   
  
"Though," Harry began, his eyes meeting Louis' intensely, "I would rather not concentrate on magic right now."   
  
"Yeah?" Louis asked with a smirk. "What do you want to talk about then?"   
  
Harry kind of didn't want to talk at all, but he knew he had to bring it up. "I have something to ask you."   
  
Louis looked surprised, his grin wide and goofy now. "Harry, you know it's too soon for a marriage proposal!"   
  
Harry snorted and shook his head. "Not that. It's uh, a weird question, but that girl that won the backstage pass..." Louis stood up straighter at the mention of her. Definitely suspicious. "Was she... I mean... someone saw you do something weird. Like... pinching her?"   
  
Louis sighed and walked closer to Harry, putting his hands on his cheeks. "I didn't pinch her. She had a bug under her sleeve."   
  
"What were you doing under her sleeve in the first place?" Harry asked. He refused to let it go until Louis told him  _something_. "I mean, it's not like I thought we were  _exclusive_ ," he said, trying to make light of the situation, "but, yeah, it all seems a bit odd and I do think there are things you're not telling me. There are things I have to tell  _you_."   
  
"I'm listening." Louis said, his eyes intense. And, god, Harry did want to let it go. Harry looked down, away from Louis, but that didn't help either. Louis was in his line of vision. And he looked _really good_. It also didn't help that Louis was wearing trousers that were tight around the crotch area. Well, not  _tight_ , but Harry could definitely make out the line of... No, not now. He couldn't do this now. He looked up again.   
  
Harry took a deep breath. "I, uh, have information. I know you said you don't kill the vampires, but... do you interact with shapeshifters at all? There's one that you might have hung out with in New York City." He definitely had, but Harry didn't want to sound like he was accusing Louis of anything. "And she's dead now. And the thing is, there are a few supernatural people who have died wherever we've gone. I have someone checking."   
  
"You  _have someone checking_?" Louis took his hands away from Harry's face, surprised. " _What_?"   
  
"What I mean," Harry said, mentally kicking himself, "is that when I wasn't sure what you were doing, I talked to some people like me from New York City. They found out that you were hanging out with a shapeshifter in New York City by tracing her calls. She died a few days after you first saw her."   
  
Louis swallowed nervously. "She really died?"   
  
"Yeah." Harry nodded. Louis actually looked taken aback by that. So much so that Harry had a feeling that Louis had no idea what was going on. "Is it, like... not just vampires that you talk to? Shapeshifters as well? Is that fan going to die?"   
  
Louis just blinked at him. "God, I hope not! Uh, I don't really know what to say. I honestly don't kill anyone, poison them, put bombs on them, or do anything to them that might kill them later. I don't know why they're dying. I mean, I'll try to fnd out. Because that... that's really horrible. They don't deserve to die. But, yeah, I  _do_  work with shapeshifters," he admitted. "And, yeah, that fan is one."   
  
"Then you should tell her to watch out. Just in case." Harry advised. God, Louis looked so upset about this. Harry wondered what was going on in Louis' mind and took some strength not to find out. "That girl... and the fan from earlier. Were they bad? Like Isabel?"   
  
"No," Louis replied, "No, it's just... there are some shapeshifters I just talk to. Make sure they're, I don't know, not rabid or anything-"   
  
" _Rabid_?" Harry interrupted. He wasn't sure if Louis was joking or not. Because, yeah, shapeshifters turned into animals, but...   
  
"Not  _really_  rabid, but... um. Like, harmful to people. Well, uh. That girl  _died_. Wow." Louis glanced away, and for a minute, Harry wondered if Louis was going to be sick. He looked a bit ill and suddenly Harry wished that he hadn't brought this up at all. But he knew it was necessary. He and Louis both needed to know and understand what was going on.   
  
"Louis?" Harry stepped closer to him, and then suddenly was hugging him, holding him so close Harry was was afraid he'd choke him. But Louis didn't seem to care about how tightly he was being held; he just hugged Harry back, gripping him in a way that felt somewhat desperate. Harry sighed and smiled just a bit; he couldn't help it. He loved how they comforted each other. Louis could make him feel better whenever he needed it and now he could do the same for Louis, hopefully.   
  
A few minutes passed and Louis pulled back to look at him. "I'm sorry."   
  
Harry wasn't sure  _what_  Louis was sorry for. Maybe not telling him that he kept track of shapeshifters as well. Maybe about not telling him all of this in the first place. Maybe he felt guilty about the shapeshifter's death. But Harry didn't care what triggered the apology. Louis eyes were sad right now and his lips were  _right there_. He dipped his head down just a little and his lips brushed Louis' gently. At first, Louis didn't react, but Harry kissed him anyway. He tried to be as caring and loving as he could about it, as a source of comfort.   
  
Then Louis pulled back again and regarded him. He no longer seemed intensely sad. But one look into his eyes and Harry could tell Louis was thinking what he was. There was desire in his eyes now, so much that Harry had to catch his breath. Harry put his arms around Louis' waist and brought him closer. The contact  _down there_  was more intense than Harry had thought it would be. They weren't even hard, though the thought of it sent a wave of arousal through Harry and he knew he would be shortly.   
  
Louis blinked once, and then grabbed Harry's face again, this time kissing him hard. Harry gasped against his lips, because he honestly hadn't expected this. But he kissed Louis back just as hard, pulling him backward by the edge of his shirt. Soon, Harry was sitting on the bed and Louis climbed over him, kneeling, and opening his mouth for Harry like he had earlier. Harry let out a quiet moan realizing just how turned on he was. He could feel Louis through his trousers and was pleased to find Louis getting harder.   
  
Louis pushed Harry down so that he was flat on the bed, climbing over him again. Harry smiled against Louis' lips. He knew that Louis was trying to be rougher, and Harry definitely liked it, but he mostly found it adorable. Louis had him pinned to the bed, and he settled one of his legs between Harry's as he kissed down Harry's jaw to his neck. Harry trembled as he realized that Louis' hand was on his crotch over his trousers. Louis stopped kissing his neck and looked into Harry's eyes. "Is that alright?"   
  
"Are you kidding? Shit.  _Yes_ , it's alright." Harry reached up and pulled Louis down again, kissing him fiercely. Then, with one hand still curled around Louis' neck, he moved his other hand so that it was slightly under Louis' shirt. He just felt Louis' chest for a moment. This was so new but it didn't scare him. It was just different and interesting and he actually loved it. He trembled just a little when he realized how into this and excited he was. He thrust up, unable to hold back, much to his embarrassment.   
  
But Louis loved it. He rubbed Harry there slowly, offering teasing stimulation, kissing down Harry's neck again. Harry's hands were on Louis' back now, under his shirt, and suddenly Louis took his hand away and began rubbing against Harry, experimenting to find the right friction and rhythm. Harry held onto him tightly, wondering if they actually could get off this way. If they couldn't, would they try something else? He kind of liked this position, but he knew that if they tried other things he'd like them as well. He liked that Louis was moving roughly against him, attacking his neck and face with his mouth. He liked that being kissed could make Louis feel better enough to do this. He was just  _happy_.   
  
"Mmm, Harry," Louis mumbled against Harry's neck. "We should have done this sooner."   
  
Harry agreed. They  _should_  have. "Yeah....  _Louis_?" Harry asked, because suddenly Louis' hand was on Harry's waistband. But he didn't go in. In fact, Louis seemed hesitant. "Louis, you can if you want."   
  
Louis let out a deep breath and took his hand away, sitting up, over Harry. "Maybe we shouldn't rush this, Harry."   
  
"Um. What?" Harry sat up as well, supporting himself with his hands. "You want to stop  _now_?" He didn't want to say so, because Louis already knew, but he was  _hard_ , and he really wanted to finish the job. Louis was hard as well, so it made no sense. "Louis?"   
  
"We should take it slow." Louis scrunched up his face as if he was trying to convince himself of that fact. "I... we shouldn't..."   
  
"Louis, if you haven't noticed, we're kind of sitting here in agony and you're saying we should  _take it slow_? I"m not trying to pressure you, but..."   
  
Louis smiled a little now. "I know. I just. I don't want to be wrong about anything. I haven't done this with a guy, and I care about you and I just..." He looked up into Harry's eyes again and repeated his words from before. "I'm sorry."   
  
"Do you  _want_  to do more?" Harry asked. Because he really did and Louis' lips looked so nice and pink and Harry really just wanted to kiss him and continue what they were doing.   
  
"Yeah," Louis admitted without hesitation. "It's just. We shouldn't."   
  
 _Shouldn't_  was a word that Harry cared about. He moved on the bed so that he could support himself just by sitting, and then reached around Louis' neck, pulling him close again. "Why?"   
  
Instead, Louis' eyes dropped to Harry's mouth, and then shot up. He closed his eyes, trying to breathe. "This is all really new, and..."   
  
"More of a reason we should figure out what we're doing." Harry told him, bringing his lips to Louis' jaw, kissing him, and then finding his way up to Louis' mouth. He was pretty impressed by his own braveness and kissed Louis harder. Louis' hesitation seemed to melt away as he kissed Harry back. Harry kept kissing him as he maneuvered around, moving Louis pretty easily, so that Louis was in Harry's old position. He gently pushed Louis down and unbuttoned Louis' trousers, wondering how he got here and feeling so glad that he actually had.   
  
He got Louis completely out of his trousers and then removed his own. He pressed their groins together and  _yes_ , this was much better. Not perfect, but the contact was so much easier now. He thrust his hips against Louis', and Louis threw his head to the side and moaned. Harry bent down and his lips brushed Louis' neck before he captured Louis' lips in a kiss.   
  
"I have a little trick." Harry murmured against Louis' mouth. He did what Louis had done before, his hand straddling the edges of Louis' underwear. But this time he went in and Louis gasped, his eyes opening again.   
  
" _Harry_ ," said Louis.   
  
"Trust me. You'll like this." Harry said. He tried to ignore how  _different_  it felt to be with a guy and just concentrate on the fact that it was Louis. He wrapped his hand around Louis' dick. And then he did to Louis what he did with himself - warmed him up, made him lubed up enough so that Harry could stroke him without any uncomfortable feeling.   
  
" _What_ ," Louis looked down at Harry's hand, "What did...." Harry just smiled wickedly at him and Louis broke out into a wide grin. "That is the best ever. Think you could do it to yourself so I can return the favor?"   
  
Harry changed his position again, laying next to Louis, yet close enough to him so that they could reach each other easily. Harry lubed and warmed himself up, and when he told Louis he had, Louis pursed his lips for just a moment before putting his hand into Harry's boxers. Harry trembled for a moment at the touch and then went to work on Louis again.   
  
They jerked each other off in silence, the occasional grunt or moan escaping their lips. Harry focused on Louis the whole time, but Louis closed his eyes. Still, it turned Harry on so much because Louis looked like he was in Heaven. The moment Louis opened his eyes and their gazes met, Harry leaned forward and kissed Louis on the mouth, still moving his hand up and down on Louis dick. Then Louis stopped kissing him and whispered into Harry's ear, "Faster."   
  
Harry picked up his pace and Louis matched him, copying the movements. Harry thrust against Louis hand, feeling astonishingly close. God, Louis was so  _good_  at this. Louis began moaning louder, and Harry kissed him to cut him off, just in case they were too loud.  
  
"Louis...  _Louis_ ," Harry gasped, realizing he had given little warning before came into Louis' hand with a jerk. He tried not to be loud and bit back a moan, despite the fact that a little sound did escape. He finished and then looked up into Louis' eyes, and worked Louis' dick even faster. Louis rolled over onto his back and Harry climbed over him again, stroking him and enjoying watching Louis' face.   
  
When Louis came, he spilled into Harry's hand and gasped Harry's name as he thrust forward, riding out his orgasm. It was probably the hottest thing ever and if it were a few minutes later, Harry probably would have had to get off again. But Louis seemed a little embarrassed when he finished, looking up into Harry's eyes sheepishly. "Wow."   
  
Harry smiled gently at him and kissed Louis' lips softly. "That was worth not putting it off, wasn't it?"   
  
Louis blinked and then sat up. "That was amazing. But, uh... I'll be right back." He practically few off the bed and pulled on his trousers.  
  
Harry, confused, sat up as well. "Where are you going?"   
  
"Bathroom." Louis told him. "I'll be right back. I promise. I just... have to take a piss. Like, really bad."   
  
Harry couldn't argue with that, so he smiled and nodded, laying back on the bed. Louis walked around the bed, bent down, and kissed him before leaving the room.   
  
  
  
It was like he couldn't control himself.   
  
Louis had had a very clear plan. He had promised himself not to let things go too far with Harry until he figured out how to fix everything, but when Harry had kissed him, just to comfort him, it was the sweetest thing ever and had quickly turned into the sexiest thing ever. And maybe he wasn't gay, but from that he realized that he was  _very_  into Harry. He had only come to his senses when he toyed with the idea of getting Harry off.   
  
But Harry was relentless and his lips had been  _everywhere_. And then his  _hands_. Louis sighed as he walked back to his room.   
  
First, he changed into more comfortable clothes.   
  
Then he opened up his laptop and logged into his email. It was the email address Adrian didn't have, the one he and Hannah used to communicate with each other in secret. He had to make this quick because tomorrow morning he  _would_  be there for Harry.   
  
 _I can't do it. I can't tag him and I can't spy on him! Im not sure what to do but I know I have to tell him the truth ... even if he hates me. I need him to be protected at least and he can do that better knowing what hes up against. I don't expect you to lie to A for me but I'm just letting you know what I'm planning. I cant lie to H anymore. I think I might leave and not be a tagger anymore ..... the problem is that I think supernaturals know what we're doing or at least what Im doing. Do you think H would help out with that if I tell him the truth ? All I know is Im not going to tag him. At all.  
  
Also do you know anything about people dying after we tag them? I think its been happening to the people I tag and I need to check on all of the ones Ive done recently. H apparently knows people who knew a shapeshifter that died after I tagged her. i dont know... we should look into it_  
  
He hit  _Send_.   
  
Next, he sent Mary a message with the same anonymous email. It didn't have his name attached to it, so he figured it was safe enough to send. He told her to be careful and watch out, maybe get away if she could. And then he sent her a text with the phone he used with supernaturals telling her to check her email.   
  
He shut down his computer, and closed it again, packing it away in his bag that he would bring when they traveled tomorrow. Then he left his room and headed down the hallway, back to Harry's.   
  
When he opened Harry's door, Harry sat up in bed again, smiling. "Hi."   
  
Louis just stared at him for a moment. Harry was so... good looking. His hair was messy and he still looked a bit sweaty. He hadn't even allowed himself to think that before, but Harry was so... frustrating. In an amazing way. What frustrated Louis even more was that he should and shouldn't have been thinking this at the same time as much as he wanted to. He wanted to try this out with Harry without Adrian questioning his every move.  
  
"Hi, Harry." Louis said, climbing back onto the bed. He kissed Harry softly for a moment and then pulled back. "Um, I have to tell you something."   
  
"What?" Harry asked, leaning forward as if he was intrigued.   
  
He couldn't say it. Not right now. He would do it tomorrow, maybe then. But he couldn't ruin their night after  _that_. He gave Harry a weak smile and said, "I kind of like you."   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
  
Harry and Louis must have been up late, because they fell asleep in the car. Liam thought they were the cutest pair, with their arms wrapped around each other and Harry's head on Louis' shoulder. Zayn had pointed them out to Liam with a snicker, but they were hard to miss anyway.   
  
He glanced at Niall, who was also watching Louis and Harry with a strange look on his face. He seemed kind of amused, but... there was envy in his eyes. Liam swallowed, wondering  _why_ Niall was envious. He and Harry had been spending a lot of time together lately, maybe...   
  
Niall looked down at his phone then, and Liam watched him. Niall smiled and Liam did as well, just because Niall was happy.   
  
Then Niall looked up. "Oh my god, Xavier is coming to one our shows. He says he's getting dragged along by his friend... what do I do, Liam?"   
  
Just like that, Liam's mood darkened. But he tried not to show it because he promised Niall that he'd be more supportive. "Tell him that's cool," Liam said, though he could barely choke out the words. He didn't really understand why he felt this way whenever Niall brought up Xavier. It wasn't like anything could  _happen_  with him. Hopefully.   
  
Liam closed his eyes and leaned back. He needed to stop being so protective of Niall. It was funny, because he was kind of acting like he wanted Niall to himself. Which would be kind of gay of him, so  _that_  couldn't be it. Despite the fact that it made sense...   
  
Liam's phone buzzed to indicate that he had a text, and he checked it immediately. It was a text from Zayn even though Zayn was sitting  _right there_.   
  
' _Vas happenin jealousy_ '  
  
He glared at Zayn, but his friend just smirked back and mouthed, " _You know it's true._ "  
  
Niall was busy playing with his phone again, and Liam gazed at him, trying not to be too obvious.  _Could_  he be jealous? He most certainly was not gay, but... it could be that he wasn't  _narrow_. And he had to admit, that whenever Niall smiled, he smiled...  _Oh crap_ , he thought. He was thinking of Niall in terms of Justin Bieber songs. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but the idea stayed. That maybe, just maybe, he might...  _like Niall a little bit..._ -   
  
 _No_ , he told himself.  _You do not like guys and you do not fancy Niall. Shut up, brain. Think about Leona Lewis._    
  
Trying to picture Leona in his head did not work, because his mind was so focused on Niall. He saw Niall smile brightly, and... maybe he was a little bit kissable...   
  
 _Stop it,_  he ordered himself. He felt like his thoughts were bouncing back and forth and he really just needed to calm down. He needed some air.  
  
This was ridiculous. He was straight. He wasn't gay. He wasn't like Niall, not that there was anything wrong with it. He couldn't be.   
  
He knew what he had to do. The other lads had all done it, even Niall. They had definitely taken advantage of the fact that the fans thought they were attractive and hooked up with a few. Not that the girls weren't all for it, according to the stories that the lads told. But Liam hadn't really done that. He'd been in a relationship for most of the time between the X Factor and now and hadn't really joined in on that kind of fun. But now... maybe it wasn't such a bad idea if helped get him back on track. As long as it helped him understand that he didn't want Niall.   
  
In fact, he knew he didn't. Where had these ridiculous thoughts even come from? Maybe his brain was just broken. Maybe Zayn's constant insistence had gotten to him. Either way, he needed to stop whatever it was  _now_.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Louis checked his email as soon as they got to the hotel and Harry had gone to take a shower. Mary had replied, but Hannah hadn't yet.   
  
' _Who is this?_ '   
  
That was all it said. Louis typed a fast reply, not because he was pressed for time necessarily, even though he sort of was because they had to go in an hour, but because he was desperate to get it all out.   
  
' _Im a friend. I know what you are, and there might be people out there trying to hurt you. I know it sounds ridiculous but trust me I think Im right. I knew another shapeshifter that was killed and she didnt even do anything wrong,_ ' He left out the fact that he had tagged her, which had possibly led to her death, ' _Im going to try and find a way to help you better, but the problem is that you have something in you.... a chip that tells some people where you are because your supernatural. Ill email you again and try to find a way to help you get that chip out._ '   
  
It was the first time he was ever going to try to untag somebody. But it had to be done. If he was right, then maybe there were some people who used the tag for evil, and that was  _not_  what it was intended to be. When Louis had done his training, he had been assured that tagging was a good thing, that without it, supernaturals would rule over humans and the bad ones might even kill the good ones. Adrian, who he hadn't seen before, made an appearance at one of his training sessions and told Louis and his group all about his experiences. Then he had brought in an evil vampire that had been captured and decapitated him In front of a bunch of twelve year olds.   
  
Louis shuddered from the memory. He had barely even watched when it happened because it was disgusting and terrifying, but it was the most Louis had ever seen Adrian do. Usually he sat behind a desk and barked orders, but he had  _never_  seen anyone else get that violent with a supernatural person, not even the evil ones. If vampires  _had_  to be killed, they were staked. Simple.   
  
Next, he called his mum. She must have been busy because it went straight to voicemail. He just left a message asking her to call him whenever he wasn't on stage. Even if he was sleeping, it was okay. He would keep his phone near him.   
  
He tried to call Hannah but there was no answer on either of her phones, not her normal one or her secret one. He left her a message as well and then checked his email again. It was unusual not to hear from her for this long. Usually when they needed each other's assistance they replied to each other as fast as possible.   
  
When Harry emerged from the shower, he walked out of the bathroom in just his towel and Louis was pretty sure he did it on purpose. Louis looked up from his computer, and Harry caught him staring immediately. Louis gave him a small smile, and he knew he was screwed. Because he  _was_  attracted to Harry. Maybe it was simply because he was Harry. But with everything else on his mind, he wasn't sure how to balance the realization of these feelings with his tagging responsibilities that he was trying to get out of.   
  
"What are you doing?" Harry asked, laying across the bed next to Louis. Louis quickly closed out of everything he had open on his computer and put it aside.   
  
"Are you trying to seduce me, Styles?" Louis asked with a smirk.   
  
Harry studied Louis' face, instead. "Are you alright?"   
  
"Just thinking about that whole death thing," Louis admitted. That was part of it, after all. "I'm trying to figure out what's behind that. It's not me. I promise."   
  
"I believe you." Harry said, staring into his eyes intensely.   
  
It was then that Louis vowed to tell Harry everything after the show tonight. He couldn't wait any longer.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry had seen some strange things, but seeing Liam try to flirt with and chat up girls was one of the strangest. He had done it before the show and after the show and it  _looked_  like he was giving out his phone number to a few. Harry had to admit that Liam picked some pretty fit girls to give his number to, but at the same time, it was pretty painful to watch. And it wasn't only Harry that was watching. Niall saw Liam do it and gave Harry this  _fuck my life_  look, and Zayn shook his head, amused and annoyed at the same time. Louis, however, was too busy to notice.   
  
After the show, Niall and Zayn wanted to go out, and Liam had actually invited a girl back to his hotel room, much to everyone's shock, and in Niall's case, disappointment. Harry couldn't really "go out" because he wasn't eighteen yet, but he looked to Louis and Louis smiled at him and Harry knew he wouldn't be alone.   
  
However, just as they got to the hotel room, Louis' phone rang. He apologized to Harry quickly and answered it. He sounded relieved as he exclaimed, "Hi!"   
  
And then he was off. He just  _left_ , telling Harry he would be back soon. Harry could only watch him leave, accepting that he was trying to investigate whatever was going on.   
  
A few months ago, Harry might have done what Liam did (but hopefully a bit less awkwardly, he thought to himself, amused). But things were much different now. He knew that despite all of the weird stuff going on, he only wanted Louis.   
  
So instead, he opted for some online surfing and TV watching to pass the time while he waited for Louis. He checked his mentions, read up on any celebrity news he'd missed, laughed at all of the bullshit articles that the tabloids published, and checked some of the band fansites.   
  
He was in the middle of tweeting a bunch of fans when his phone rang. He sprang up from the bed, ran to his phone, and checked it, only to find that he didn't recognize the phone number. That was weird. He'd been especially careful about his phone number lately. After carelessly giving it out a few times, that incident where he and Louis gave out Matt Cardle's phone number, and random phone calls from fans, he had changed his number and only given it to people he actually knew and made sure not to reveal his or anyone's number anymore. So the fact that this was a number he didn't know was really odd.   
  
But it also made him very curious.   
  
He pressed the Send button and held the phone to his ear. "Hello?"   
  
"Hello, Harry."   
  
He recognized the voice. It was a girl's voice, and... it wasn't a nice one. He had only heard it from far away But... he thought she wouldn't sound this way. Actually he hadn't thought he would hear her speak again.   
  
"It's Isabel. I believe we haven't officially met," she said.   
  
Harry had never  _wanted_  to officially meet her. And, did she actually remember...."Yeah. What do you want?"   
  
"I have  _so much_  to tell you."


	9. Chapter 9

Harry took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. "I would really rather not speak with you. Or go anywhere near you."   
  
"I'm not going to  _kill_  you, Harry," she said, her voice light. "Louis, however, is a different story." At Harry's silence, she continued, her voice darkening. "I know exactly where he is. I drank his blood, and that connection between us stays for at least a week. I can feel he's quite unprotected at the moment. I could be walking toward him right now. I could be reaching around his neck _right now_ -"   
  
"Stop." Harry ordered her. "Fine. Where are you?"   
  
"Downstairs in the hotel lobby, waiting for you." Somehow he knew she was smirking.   
  
  
  
And she was. He saw her immediately, and his first thought was that it was weird to see her  _awake_. He acted casual about it, greeting her as an old friend, inviting her upstairs. He knew it was dangerous, but she had said that she wasn't going to kill him and he believed her. And somehow, she didn't seem as threatening without blood all over her face. She was a dark person, a bad person, sure. She had probably killed a lot of humans. But maybe the fact that he had magic gave him confidence. Maybe she knew that he could freeze her at any second and  _keep_ freezing her. Maybe he knew that Louis probably had a stake somewhere in his suitcase and he could just make it appear in his hand. Maybe that knowledge subdued her.   
  
"You  _are_  easy," Isabel commented when they reached the hotel room. Harry just glared at her, tempted to freeze her already. "I've heard stories about you. How many fans have seen the inside of your hotel rooms. Though, your life is a lot less interesting to me than Louis' is." She turned to face him, looking him square in the eye. "I know you used your magic on me. I  _should_ kill you, but I know I can't. Besides, I only kill humans."   
  
"Just tell me what you wanted to tell me and leave." Harry said dryly.   
  
She smiled. "Aren't you wondering how I remember? Your magic is  _baby magic_ , Harry. If this was February, rather than November, it would be a different story. Baby magic doesn't stick. Not even memory wipes. Though it's  _so adorable_  that you thought it would."   
  
"I was just saving Louis." Harry told her, looking away. Maybe Louis would return any minute and they could tell her off together.   
  
At that, she cackled, sitting herself down on the bed. Harry cringed and made a mental note to have the staff change the bedding later. "It's rather hilarious that you want to save him, considering what he is. Unless... you don't  _know_  what he is. Is that it?"   
  
That was low. She  _knew_  he didn't know. He could tell by the look in her eyes.   
  
"I know everything," she told him, "Everything  _you_  don't know. Everything that he is going to keep making excuses for not telling you. Trust me, Harry. We're on the same side."   
  
"We are  _not_  on the same side." Harry stared down at her. "We're  _never_  on the same side."   
  
"Right, Harry. Sure." she rolled her eyes. "So we're going to make an exchange. You give me some of your blood, and I give you information."   
  
Now it was Harry's turn to laugh. "Let me think about that. No."   
  
"Harry, we can argue about this forever. You can freeze me all you want. But I'll unfreeze. At the end of the day, you're public figures. I'm going to find you. I'm going to find Louis. I will find him alone and I  _will_  kill him. Or," she said, her eyes starting to glow red now, "You can let me feed from you, just for a minute. And I won't kill Louis. Those are your options."   
  
He stepped forward, beginning to feel the hatred that Louis held against vampires. She was right. He  _could_  freeze her. He could run away, find Louis. But she would unfreeze, and maybe go after their bandmates. There would be no escaping her. His only option, really, was to save Louis. Again.   
  
He hated himself for it, but he stepped even closer to her and held out his wrist. She grinned wickedly, grabbed the wrist, and her fangs broke his skin.   
  
And Harry began to feel things he had never felt before. Things he had never expected or wanted to feel.   
  
 _Fuck_ , thought Harry. That bastard. He  _hated_  him. He thought of Louis, and how he  _deserved_  whatever was coming to him. The fucking asshole had led him on,  _lied_  to him, taken information without giving it back. The next time he saw Louis, he was going to take every ounce of his power, and throw it at him. Maybe it would only be temporary. But he would suffer. He would _definitely_  suffer. And Harry didn't give a shit because there would never be enough suffering to satisfy Harry's hatred.   
  
When Isabel stopped drinking, Harry collapsed onto the floor, falling on his ass rather than his head, luckily. That had been such an intense feeling of hatred and... it hadn't been him, not really. "What did you do?"   
  
"That was just a little preview of what's to come."   
  
  
  
She made him stay where he was. Well, actually, she suggested he better sit down because she didn't want him to fall over again. She was quite bitchy and smug about it. She couldn't physically make him do anything, but if her news was shocking, he might want to sit down anyway.   
  
"So tell me." Harry said, keeping his voice as cold as possible.   
  
Isabel remained smug, leaning back on the bed, balancing on her palms. "Your  _best friend_  Louis has been hiding a lot from you, Harry. Have you ever heard of the Enforcement and Protection Against Supernaturals Unit? E P A S U. Or as they call themselves, PAUSE."   
  
"Why are they called PAUSE?"   
  
"It's an easy code-name. It has no real meaning. You're a witch, surely you've heard of it somewhere. You're probably not as dumb as you look."  
  
Harry blinked. Maybe he'd heard of it  _once_ , in passing. A magic acquaintance might have mentioned it once, but he wasn't one hundred percent sure when or where. "Oh. Yeah. I have."   
  
"You probably don't remember what they do. They keep track of supernaturals and eliminate the dangerous ones. Any non-dangerous ones they just regulate. That's what they  _say_. But either way, every supernatural is kept track of without their consent as soon as PAUSE learns of the supernatural's existence." She shrugged, and then looked around and sighed, as if she didn't feel like giving him any more information. As if this was  _tedious_  for her.   
  
"Okay..." Harry said, "And what?"   
  
"See, I know about PAUSE because I used to be part of it. I was raised to fight against shapeshifters, vampires, fae, and  _witches_ ," Her eyes moved up and down meaningfully, smirking. "And when I say  _fight against_ , I mean it. I was trained to kill. Whoever I needed to. Usually it was vampires - they're usually killed no matter what - and violent shapeshifters. We would find out who was violent because we tracked them. We began tracking a supernatural as soon as we found out they existed. Do you know how?"   
  
Harry shook his head. He didn't. He really didn't want to.   
  
"There are different jobs within PAUSE. There are the ones who oversee everything. There are the trainers, the ones who teach us to do our jobs. There are the ones who offer up their services to other PAUSE members. They can be store owners, hotel managers, restaurant managers,  _anything_. There are the ones who fight and kill, like I did. And then there are the ones who give the members the ability to find the supernaturals. They're called taggers and they put a tiny little chip under the skin of a supernatural. It's a GPS, Harry. It tells the PAUSE members where you are. It also tells them when you use your powers. Or when a vampire bites someone, stuff like that."   
  
He stayed quiet, just listening. It all came back to him now. There had been a little bit of a warning about them in his book of charms, but he must have forgotten that part, as he was most interested in the charms. It took him a moment to register all of this. He hadn't known the details. And she was telling him this because....   
  
"Guess which one Louis is." she said, her grin even wider now.   
  
He refused to guess. And she took pleasure in that. Any one of the choices would leave him absolutely gutted. Worse than that.   
  
"Your precious Louis," Isabel leaned forward again. "Is a  _tagger_. And get this, Harry. He's supposed to tag  _you_."   
  
Well,  _that_  just wasn't possible. Except, it was. Harry didn't want to give her the satisfaction of a big reaction.   
  
"Here's the real kicker though," said Isabel. She looked directly into Harry's eyes. "He told the organization that you're a witch. He  _told_  them about you, Harry. And  _that_  is why he's supposed to tag you."   
  
He couldn't look at her. He wasn't sure if he should believe her or not. He couldn't believe that Louis would actually tell people about his magic, but if he had been raised in PAUSE, then of course he would feel obligated to tell the people he worked for. Still, it was Louis. He couldn't see Louis doing that. He tried to rationalize it in his head, but on the other side of the argument, what Isabel was telling him made sense. Louis was secretive. Louis was  _reluctant_  with him, and maybe it was because he had been lying to Harry all along.   
  
"How do you even know?"   
  
She rolled her eyes. "I know some witches.  _They_  don't have baby powers and have figured it out."   
  
And somehow he knew that was right. Louis had been lying to him for as long as they'd known each other. And Isabel wasn't lying.   
  
So because he could, he changed the subject. He was done talking about Louis, no matter what. That was an issue for later. Instead, he faced her again. "You were raised in PAUSE. What happened?"   
  
"I got turned by a vampire I was supposed to kill. It wasn't actually that long ago." Isabel rolled her eyes. "Only person I missed  _at first_  was my brother, but as soon as he learned that I had turned he disowned me anyway. They keep trying to tag me and kill me. I'm trying to create more vampires so that we can take them out. Though it would help to have a few more witches on our side." She checked her nails casually, as if this was an everyday occurrence for her. Harry had an awkward feeling that the only reason that Isabel was acting slightly tolerant of him was because he was a supernatural and she needed him. "It's easy to create vampires. You take all these unhappy kids. The ones who have shit home lives. The ones who create problems for themselves. The ones with actual problems. The ones who believe in  _Twilight_ , whatever. You prove to them that you're a vampire, and they usually want to turn. You'd be surprised by how many people don't want to feel anymore."   
  
Harry would never  _not_  want to feel, at least not permanently. He knew that. But he listened anyway, fascinated. Learning about this interested him, but maybe it was because he was trying not to think of Louis. He didn't want to show her that she'd upset him. But... Louis had to tag  _him_. And Louis had  _told_  his secret. Harry would never tell Louis' secret, even if he had told Harry he was in PAUSE in the first place. He took a deep breath, ignoring the aching in his stomach. Then he glared at Isabel. "Is that what that party was?"   
  
"Yes, Harry, that is what that party was. They all know about the little group as well and they hate it. Other vampires that I've met, they try to stay as far away from it. I don't blame them. Once you get tagged, you're dead."   
  
"What?" Harry asked.   
  
She was clearly enjoying all of this and smiled again. "Supernaturals who get tagged. They're killing them. Not just the supposed 'evil' ones either. And I don't care if I have to kill every human in that organization. I'll kill any human who tries to get in my way. I  _am_  going to stop it."   
  
It was some twisted form of justice, Harry realized. Being a vampire, she probably didn't realize that killing in general wouldn't solve anything, but she still wanted to save the supernaturals because she was one. Still, she didn't care about humans. She was still murderous and hateful, but this was some sick form of what she thought was the right thing.   
  
And then it hit him.   
  
If Louis was tagging supernaturals... and the supernaturals he was tagging ended up dead.... did he  _know_? Did he just accept it as reality? Was he more than fine with it?   
  
Suddenly he felt sick.   
  
Louis wasn't a killer. He had said he wasn't killing anyone. But maybe he knew what was going on. Though he had seemed surprised when he'd told Louis that girl died. Harry didn't know what to believe.   
  
"Are you gonna join me or what? Maybe I'm wasting my time here." Isabel stood up, regarding him. "You're barely talking. And here I thought we would be planning the demise of PAUSE together."   
  
"Just leave." Harry said, pushing himself up. He needed time to think about this as much as he didn't want to. And he didn't want to see Isabel's face while he did.   
  
"That's the thanks I get for all the information I shared with you?" They faced each other and if it was possible, Isabel's grin grew even more creepy and her eyes flashed. And Harry realized that she'd planned this. Because she knew that he wouldn't kill anyone or join her. But she knew he'd be hurt. She knew he wouldn't know what to believe. She knew that he wouldn't know who to stop and she knew that he couldn't stop both, and maybe he couldn't stop either. She knew that telling Harry about Louis was one of the worst things she could do. And it was his punishment for trying to wipe her mind.   
  
Even though he knew Isabel was partially at fault for how he felt, he still couldn't help being upset with Louis. He needed to find out the truth. That was something Louis had never told him.   
  
When she left, he stood there staring at Louis' suitcase on the floor, for a moment. He wondered what he would find if he searched through it. Maybe he would find PAUSE information, maybe he would find a packet of those chips Isabel had mentioned. He was tempted... and maybe he  _should_  go through Louis' things. If Louis had been lying to him all along, maybe he deserved it.   
  
But he didn't. Instead he waited.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"Honey, I don't know what to tell you. I can talk to Adrian for you, but I've been out of touch since becoming a mum to you and the girls. It's really you that's been involved. The girls are getting there, but I don't think their hearts are in it." said Louis' mum.   
  
Louis sighed as he walked, holding the phone to his ear. He had known that she would say that. It was just so  _hard_. He had no idea what to do and normally he would talk to Hannah, but she hadn't contacted him at all. His mum was his next bet, but he knew it was a long shot. Members were excused with honor once they reached a certain age or became parents. They usually only got in touch with PAUSE again so that their kids could begin training.   
  
Louis really did not want his sisters mixed up in this, especially if harmless supernaturals were being killed. After all, there was no rule that said they'd be taggers just because their mum had been one as well. Actually, any option within the organization kind of sucked. It was better that they not do this at all.   
  
"Maybe they shouldn't do it then." Louis offered. "I mean, I know there are supernaturals that need to be kept track of, but after what I told you, maybe they shouldn't."   
  
"Maybe," Jay agreed. "It doesn't seem to be like it was when I was a part of it. It's even bigger now, and like you said, they're definitely keeping more secrets. Do you think you can talk to Adrian?"   
  
It was impossible to reason with Adrian, but of course Louis said, "Yeah. I'll try." He didn't want to worry his mum too much. She had enough to deal with at home.   
  
But he did need to speak with Adrian. Something had to change. Because he knew it wasn't right that harmless supernaturals were dying,  _if_  in fact it hadn't just happened one time. If it had just happened one time, then he would have to find out why. Either way, he was pretty sure he was responsible, even if he hadn't been doing the actual killing.   
  
He hung up with his mum and then walked in silence for a few more minutes. After the gig, he had been planning to tell Harry everything when he got the phone call from his mum. He had been planning it in his head throughout the gig. He would get Harry alone in his room, give him a little kiss, and then tell Harry that he had something important to tell him. He would make Harry understand because Harry always understood. Hopefully. Maybe.   
  
As soon as he got back to the hotel he was going to do it. He  _was_.   
  
But first he needed to find out whatever he could.   
  
He stared at his phone, trying to work up the nerve to do it.   
  
And as if right on cue, his phone lit up and Adrian's phone number flashed across the screen. Louis swallowed.  _What_  in the world? Why would Adrian call him? Usually he just had his people text or email.   
  
He answered and asked, "Hello?"   
  
"Louis!" Adrian said cheerfully, "Did you tag Harry yet?"   
  
"I was about to call you." said Louis. He thought about stalling, but the longer he did that the more anxiety would build up inside of him. And he had enough of that about telling Harry. "I have a question. Are the people I'm tagging being killed?" He made sure to make his voice hushed so that no one could hear him. He was already disguised in a large hooded sweatshirt, but anyone he passed could be listening in.   
  
"Yes." Adrian replied, not missing a beat.   
  
" _Why_?" Louis asked, louder this time. Had Adrian really confirmed it that casually?   
  
"We have our reasons. If you're worried about Harry, we have better uses for his kind."   
  
Louis kicked the sidewalk and closed his eyes briefly. That didn't make him feel much better. "I'm not going to tag Harry, Adrian. I'm done."   
  
" _Really_!" Adrian replied, sounding amused. "Tell me more."   
  
"I'm actually serious." Louis told him. "If we're doing that to people who haven't done anything, then I am done. I resign. I'm not going to tag Harry or anyone. I thought we tagged them to make sure they wouldn't hurt anyone. If we tag them just to...." He looked around, making sure he was alone with them, " _kill them_ , that is wrong and I can't do it anymore."   
  
"Louis, I told you that if you wouldn't tag Harry, someone else will. Are you absolutely sure about this?"   
  
Louis looked around. He envied everyone he saw walking around, people coming home from dinners with people special to them, heading out to clubs, everyone. He wished everything could be  _normal_. He wished that he and Harry had just been normal people who met by being put in the same band without all of this supernatural drama and lying getting in the way. It felt like that sometimes when he put everything out of his mind, but he was always reminded.  _Always_.   
  
Adrian said that someone else would tag Harry, but Louis would make sure it didn't happen. After he told Harry everything they would come up with some sort of plan to protect Harry. They would protect each other. Maybe they were ridiculous sometimes and maybe they could create trouble with the best of them, but they could do this for each other. They  _could_.   
  
"Yeah. I'm quitting." Louis confirmed. "I thought I was doing this for the right reasons, but it's all wrong. Even if there are people that need to be tagged, I won't be involved anymore."   
  
There was an eerie silence for a moment before Adrian said, "You will regret this, Louis. I won't sugarcoat it for you. This is probably the worst decision you have ever made."   
  
"I doubt that." Louis shot back, unable to control himself now.   
  
"Really?" Adrian asked, then he whispered to someone in the background. Louis sucked in his breath, realizing Adrian wasn't alone. He tried to make out what Adrian was saying but he must have held his thumb over the speaker. Still, Louis could make out the  _way_  Adrian was speaking and it freaked him out. His voice was cold and teasing. Louis could tell even through muffled sounds. And then suddenly there was nothing. Adrian had hung up on him.   
  
And with that he turned and ran toward the hotel.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Zayn had a feeling that he probably should have just gone out on his own. Niall was too busy moping, yet trying to keep it to himself. He flirted with girls like usual, but he kept looking to Zayn for reassurance, something that he had never done. And Zayn was just trying to enjoy his drink.   
  
Niall had tried to put on an amused face, laughing at the girls' flirting, making them believe he was flirting back. But Zayn could tell it was fake and that he really just wanted to rant to Zayn about Liam. As if he hadn't done that enough on the way to this club.   
  
It had barely been an hour before Niall came wandering over to Zayn after he'd had a few drinks as well. "Time to go?"   
  
"Seriously?" Zayn replied. "We haven't even been here that long, you're already pissed, and you  _want to leave_?"   
  
"Just worried about Liam is all." Niall said, sitting next to Zayn.   
  
Zayn snorted. "Trust me, mate. You don't have to worry about Liam. And are you  _really_  worried about Liam or are you annoyed at him because he invited that girl over?"   
  
Niall suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights, his eyes widening and quickly crossed his arms on the table they were at, burying his face in his arms. "Maybe that one. You don't have to tell me it's stupid, trust me. And I've been talking to Xavier and I've been  _trying_...."   
  
He didn't get to finish his sentence because the girls Niall had been talking to came over and interrupted them. Normally it would be fine. They were used to fans and other girls approaching them because they had to be. But even though Niall acted fine with it, Zayn could tell that he wanted to talk about the Liam problem. In all honesty, Zayn probably would have told Niall that this wasn't the time or place for it anyway.   
  
He talked to some of the fans while texting Rebecca. She was probably the only constant in his life that wasn't so dramatic. Sure, the  _fans_  were dramatic and that was why they had claimed they weren't together at first. But whenever the guys became drama queens about stuff his friends from home wouldn't understand, he could just talk to Rebecca. Right now he wished he could talk to her about all of  _this_  and about how Niall and Liam were being idiots. And he was pretty sure something weird was going on with Louis and Harry after that "what if we were dating" remark Harry made the other day. He really wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into when he joined this band.   
  
Awhile passed and Niall seemed to forget about wanting to go home. He talked to girls, danced with them. Zayn watched him in a totally non-gay way, wondering if Niall was actually gay or if he liked both. If he was gay, he was pretty convincing when he acted like he liked girls. Maybe Niall didn't even define what he was, but that was just confusing. But from what Zayn had seen, Niall wasn't totally gay. He was just trying to get some experience with guys.   
  
Zayn sighed and rolled his eyes, slumping in his chair. Yeah they were in a band together, but if only Liam would get his act together. No, he wasn't gay either, but it was pretty clear he was jealous of Niall and the online guy. He'd been trying to tell Liam that since they were in America.   
  
Though he had to admit that if the two of them got together that could create even  _more_  drama for the band. They'd all have to work together to keep the relationship a secret and that was _not_  what he had signed up for.   
  
Still, they couldn't help wanting each other.   
  
He took another sip of his drink. He could  _not_  believe he was having an inner debate about his bandmates' potential relationship when they weren't even brave enough to snog each other. Not that Zayn wanted to know if they had. And he  _definitely_  didn't want to know if Harry and Louis had. It was never easy to tell with them.   
  
When it  _was_  time to go, Niall was too far gone that he didn't bother complaining about Liam anymore. At least, not until they got back to the hotel. Zayn only brought Niall back to his room to make sure he was okay, but as soon as they had closed the door, Niall said loudly, "I wonder if Liam is fucking that girl right now."   
  
"Niall," Zayn said,  _really_  not interested in discussing Liam's sex life, "Maybe you should go to sleep."   
  
Niall completely ignored him and opened up his laptop, "I don't even know where Harry got the idea that I shouldn't give up on Liam. That's stupid. Liam doesn't want me. He would rather fuck some girl he doesn't know than be anywhere near me."   
  
"You used to fuck girls you didn't know." Zayn reminded him. They'd all done that at some point, he was pretty sure. But he knew his logic was lost on Niall.   
  
"Okay, but Harry was  _wrong_." said Niall. "I should message Xavier and tell him who I am. That'll show everyone."   
  
" _Not_  a good idea," Zayn said. He sat next to Niall on the bed and closed Niall's laptop for him. "Maybe I should keep this until morning. Your phone as well. Just so you don't make an arse out of yourself and expose yourself."   
  
Niall groaned, but collapsed on the bed. " _Fine_."   
  
So Zayn took Niall's phone from the beside table and carried it, as well as Niall's laptop, into his hotel room.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
As the minutes passed, Harry grew increasingly anxious and kind of numb, which was a combination of emotions he'd never expected to have about Louis. He paced about the hotel room, straightening the new bedding that he'd had changed as soon as Isabel left, and he tried to check Twitter, but he just  _couldn't_. One of the Larry Stylinson accounts he followed kept tweeting about how cute they'd looked at the concert and Harry just couldn't take it.   
  
He planned out what he was going to say to Louis at least a hundred times, but he knew that everything would come out all wrong anyway.   
  
Louis finally returned around half one, and was out of breath when he burst into the room, pulling off his hooded sweatshirt. "I thought I'd never get back. My mum can talk for ages."   
  
Harry didn't reply, even when Louis set down his things and hugged Harry. Harry stood stiffly, wondering if Louis had been out tagging or if he actually had been talking to his mum for that long. Louis could be lying to him right now.   
  
"I have a weird question," Harry said, keeping his voice even.   
  
Louis pulled out of their embrace and gave Harry a little smile. He was  _nervous_. "Yeah?"   
  
"When I had that dream," Harry began, looking Louis in the eyes, "The one where you were getting attacked. What actually happened? I know it was probably real. So what did I see?"   
  
Louis swallowed. "I don't just work with shapeshifters and vampires. I work with a lot of... supernaturals. What you saw in that dream were ghosts. And they were  _trying_  to attack me, but they can't, Harry. They go right through people. I was talking to them because they were haunting people in L.A. Not that they listened." Louis rolled his eyes, feigning amusement. But then he grew serious when he took in Harry's expression. "Why do you ask?"   
  
If Louis had been with ghosts that night... he  _couldn't_  have tagged them, could he? If ghosts couldn't touch humans then humans couldn't touch ghosts. He couldn't have put a chip into them; that was impossible. "Isabel rang me."   
  
Louis staggered backward, losing his balance a little, and Harry wondered how Louis could even deal with dangerous supernaturals. Just the mention of Isabel's name freaked him out. " _What_?" Louis asked incredulously.   
  
"She called me and then she came here." Harry said, keeping his voice quiet. "She had a lot to say, and I want you to confirm it for me."   
  
"Harry-"   
  
"Are you a tagger for PAUSE?"   
  
Louis stared at him in complete silence. He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it again. His eyes were wide and Harry realized that Louis was actually afraid of what Harry was going to do or say. And it was because he had gotten caught. "It's complicated, Harry."   
  
"Next question. Two actually. Are you supposed to tag me? And did you tell them about me?"   
  
"Like I said, it's complicated."   
  
Harry backed away from Louis completely. "Complicated?  _How_ , Louis?"   
  
"Please, Harry," Louis begged. "I thought I was doing the right thing.I was never going to tag you. Even if you're supernatural."   
  
"Excuse me? Even if I'm supernatural?" Harry asked. Had Louis actually just said that? As if he was somehow lesser because he had magic abilities.   
  
"Sorry, sorry, what I mean is that I was raised in PAUSE. I trained to be a tagger and I'm supposed to look down upon supernaturals."   
  
Harry took a deep breath. "And do you?"   
  
Louis blinked. "I don't know."   
  
At that, Harry walked backwards until he sat on the bed where Isabel had sat earlier. "At least you're being honest. And the people you're tagging, they're dying. Do you even care?"   
  
"You think I don't  _care_?" Louis asked, surprised and sort of annoyed. "Of-fucking-course I care, Harry. I don't want anyone to die, especially not people who didn't  _do_  anything. As soon as I found out, as soon as  _you_  told me, I contacted Mary and I'm going to try to undo what I did. It can't happen to anyone else. People who are being tagged aren't supposed to die just for being supernatural."   
  
"They're not supposed to be tagged!" Harry shot back.   
  
"You don't understand, Harry." Louis replied. Harry could tell that he was trying to keep his voice calm. "Supernaturals - they're  _dangerous_. You don't even know what  _your_  kind is capable of. They can-"   
  
"What I understand," Harry interrupted, "Is that you're prejudiced. And kind of brainwashed. And that you told the organization that you're part of  _that's killing supernaturals_  that I'm a witch-"   
  
"I  _didn't_  know they were killing-"   
  
"I also understand that you think you're right and that it's up to you to regulate supernatural people that could be dangerous, because  _obviously_  microchipping us as if we're pets is the best solution. I understand that you people think you have the right to track our whereabouts and determine whether we're using our abilities - that most of us are  _born with_  - at a certain time. And I understand that you lied to me. You told me you reasoned with vampires and shapeshifters and that was all. You didn't tell me you were a member of PAUSE. You didn't tell me you were a tagger. And you didn't  _tell_  me that I should keep a lookout for  _you_  of all people. You were  _told_  to act like you fancied me, weren't you?" As Harry spoke, so me of that rage he'd felt when Isabel had drank from him began to reemerge, and he finally understood why she'd done it. She knew that he'd numb himself immediately after she and Harry spoke, but she also knew that the emotions would come pouring out of him as soon as he began to talk to Louis. That vampire was an evil genius.   
  
"I was," Louis admitted, "But that's not why I kept doing it, I promise, I-"   
  
"I don't know if I should believe anything you say anymore." Harry bit back the urge to hurdle a bit of power at him that would push him backwards. Even though Louis had done all this and lied, he was Louis, and Harry couldn't hurt him. So he used words instead. "What I don't understand is why  _Isabel_ , the vampire I saved you from with  _my magic_ , told me more of the truth tonight than you ever have. I know why she did it, and she was right about how I would feel about it, but you're supposed to be my best friend. My... whatever you are. Were.  _Whatever_. But in the hour she was here she told me more about you than you have in the past year. Even after I told you what I was."   
  
There were a few seconds of silence before Louis said, "It wasn't safe. But I'm leaving PAUSE and... and I didn't want  _this_  to happen. I was going to come back and tell you everything tonight, make you understand."   
  
 _That_  was a laugh. There was no way Harry would ever understand Louis' mindset. Harry knew in his heart that tagging was wrong, and even if Louis was going to make an exception for Harry, that didn't mean it was alright when he did it to everyone else. Even if Louis had decided to leave PAUSE due to the killing, that didn't change the fact that he thought of supernaturals as lesser. He was probably comforted by the fact that there were other taggers. It was hard to know with Louis and now it was more difficult than ever. Harry wished he'd seen this coming.   
  
"I want you to leave me alone." Harry said, glaring up at him. "Go bunk with one of the other guys, get your own room. I don't care. I want to be by myself."   
  
Louis glared back for just a moment before turning and grabbing his suitcase. He pushed everything down and shoved it closed before he faced Harry again. Harry could only stare at him. He was all talked out for the night. Maybe they would try to talk again tomorrow, but Harry really wasn't sure if he would feel up to it by then. He wasn't sure how this would affect his interaction with the rest of the band. Obviously they couldn't tell the other lads what was going on, but no doubt they were going to wonder.   
  
"I just want to say that you have to watch out." Louis told him. "Adrian, that's the president of PAUSE, he's going to send someone else to tag you. I have no idea who, but I'm going to do everything I can to stop it. Even if you don't like me much, I'm going to make sure this ends. I don't know how, but it will."   
  
Then Harry watched Louis wheel his suitcase over to the door and leave the room.   
  
As soon as Louis left, Harry used his magic to make sure the door was locked and turn off the lights. He numbed himself like he did before, because that was the only way he would be able to handle this right now. He breathed in and out, calming himself down and letting all of the emotion drain out of him. It wasn't magic, just a reaction to everything. He didn't want to deal with any of it right at this moment.   
  
Then he curled up in the bed and tried to sleep, though he had a feeling it was going to be a long night.


	10. Chapter 10

Last night had been a complete and utter failure. That was the first thing Liam thought as he opened his eyes, not that he really wanted to remember it. Well, okay, it hadn't been the worst experience ever. The girl he'd invited back to the room had been nice. She'd even been nice when he backed out of doing anything with her. Well, alright, he wasn't sure what she had in mind in the first place. She was one of those fans that seemed willing to go along with whatever, which had worked out in his favor. He had kissed her for awhile but then he realized that he shouldn't be doing this.   
  
Well, it wasn't that he shouldn't have been doing it, but it just wasn't  _him_ , not really. He felt guilty and weirdly enough it wasn't only because he felt like he was taking advantage of her. It was all wrong. So he pulled away as gently as he could and suggested that they watch a movie instead. She hadn't even been offended and had been more than willing to watch a movie with him. Later, they'd parted on good terms and all Liam had felt was relief until he remembered how wrong it had felt to kiss her.   
  
He supposed that it was because he didn't know her or have actual feelings for her. But it was weird, because he also had that feeling that there was something else he could have been doing. He could have been hanging out with Niall.   
  
He closed his eyes again and covered his face with his hands, groaning because he was annoyed with himself. He'd had a goal in mind and completely failed at it. While he was hanging out with a girl, he couldn't wait to go see Niall. There was something something  _wrong_  with that.   
  
Finally, he got out of bed and checked his phone before heading into the bathroom to shower. Nothing. No texts from any of the band, other friends, or his family. He left his phone on the bedside table and left to shower. In the shower, he mostly thought about  _everything_. Everything that was wrong and what he should do to try and fix it.   
  
He had Niall on his mind all the time and he had to face that Zayn was kind of right, as much as he didn't want to admit it. He might not be  _gay_ , and he might not understand what was going on in his dumb brain, but he wanted to be around Niall. Without him mentioning Xavier every two seconds.   
  
When he was finished in the shower, he got dressed and gathered his stuff quickly so that he could meet the guys in Zayn's room. He knocked on the door, and to his surprise Louis answered the door. Louis wasn't one for waking up early, and he and Harry were usually the last ones to meet up with them. When he stepped into the room, he saw Louis' suitcase sitting on the bed open. Zayn wasn't in the room, but he heard the shower turn off in the bathroom.   
  
"Did you stay here last night?" Liam asked Louis curiously. "Weren't you rooming with Harry?"   
  
Louis shrugged. "Yeah, well."   
  
Liam knew that there was so much more to it than that because Louis and Harry rarely squabbled. They  _always_  shared a room and they never had any trouble with each other, even when they got in trouble together. The fact that he was here was just  _weird_.   
  
Zayn stepped out of the bathroom with his towel around his waist. When he saw Liam, he rolled his eyes, and Liam knew that it meant  _I don't even know what's going on_. He grabbed his clothes and went back into the bathroom.   
  
There was a knock on the door and Liam watched Louis tense up. That was weird as well. Liam told Louis to wait there and that he would answer the door. Louis gave him a grateful smile and went back to stuffing things into his suitcase.   
  
Liam opened the door and it wasn't Harry, but Niall. Niall gave him a surprised look when he answered the door. "Liam!"   
  
"Hi, Niall." Liam said, smiling back. He reached out to take Niall's suitcase and his hand brushed the other boy's. Immediately his face burned up and all he could think was that it was way too early in the morning to even think about having a sexuality crisis. Still, Niall grinned at him and Liam smiled back at him dopily as Niall stepped further into the room.   
  
Harry showed up five seconds later, giving Liam a relieved look when he saw that it wasn't Louis who opened the door. But as he stepped into the room and saw Louis packing his suitcase, he completely froze. He stood there, silent, for a few moments until Louis looked up and his eyes widened. Liam sighed and suddenly felt like Zayn. There was way too much tension in the room.   
  
So instead Liam looked to Niall, who definitely noticed the tension as well. But it was more than that. He looked completely  _worried_ , as if whatever had happened was the most terrible thing that could happen to them. Liam tapped Niall's arm and when Niall turned to him, he just gave him a strange look, a sort of smile that didn't reach his eyes.   
  
They set out a half-hour later and Harry and Louis didn't sit next to each other in the car. Louis sat next to Zayn, while Harry sat next to Niall. Liam sat on Niall's other side and stared out the window while everyone slept. He needed  _something_  to distract himself from the silent treatment that Harry and Louis were giving each other. And he really wished that they would talk about it, but he knew that they wouldn't.   
  
When Niall's head fell onto Liam's shoulder, Liam turned to look at Niall and smiled. He had to admit that this wasn't bad at all. He was comfortable, and he needed to acknowledge that he was. He  _knew_  he was comfortable with Niall, so there was no reason he should be hung up on the whole gay thing.   
  
Maybe he was hung up on the whole gay thing because people had been insinuating that he was gay his whole life. Between the shyness thing and the musical theater thing, he hadn't really had it easy when it came to how people perceived him. These guys, his bandmates, his  _best friends_  were the some of the first ever that had never teased him about his history because they all had histories as well. Liam had learned in the past few years to hang out with other singers and dancers because they were less judgmental about all that stuff, but the lads were the first group of guy friends that he truly felt comfortable with.   
  
And then Niall had to go and  _come out_  to him. And Zayn had to go and explain why it made Liam feel so weird. Liam didn't  _want_  to be gay. He  _wasn't_  and he didn't want that label attached to him. Not that there was anything wrong with being gay, but after having been perceived that way for so many years, he wanted a break from it.   
  
But right now, he found himself putting an arm around Niall's shoulder experimentally. Not that Niall was an experiment, not at all. But he did need to test himself, see if he could accept that maybe he  _was_  a little like Niall. It was difficult, but maybe it was harmless. He nearly took his arm back when Niall stirred, but it was only so that Niall could turn into him more. Liam smiled and rested his cheek on the top of Niall's head. This was actually nice. It wasn't  _that_  weird.   
  
He closed his eyes and then when he opened them again, the car had stopped.   
  
And he was looking right at Zayn, whose mouth was curled into a smirk disguised as a half-smile. Because Zayn was right and he loved being right. Liam contemplated giving him the finger, just as a loving gesture really, but the door to the car was open and didn't want anyone taking a picture of that. If Louis had done it to someone, no one would be that surprised and know he was doing it in jest. But Liam was worried about his own image.   
  
He lifted up his head and then Niall stirred like before, this time stretching his arms. "Well, that was a good sleep."   
  
Zayn snickered as he climbed out of the car and Liam climbed out after him, unsuccessfully trying to glare. But he couldn't because Zayn was right.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Louis hadn't lied to Harry last night. He really did intend to fix everything. He knew he was going to do everything in his power to keep someone else from tagging Harry, even if Harry didn't want Louis around him at all.   
  
He watched Harry as he worked with the choreographer, unsure of what he felt. He cared about Harry so much, and yet apparently that wasn't enough.   
  
 _Apparently_  he was prejudiced. And, well, maybe was. But PAUSE had a valid point in that there were a lot of supernaturals were dangerous. Harry should know this, after interacting with Isabel. He wasn't completely sure what had gone down when Isabel had gone to their hotel, but he suspected she did more than tell Harry what Louis' role in PAUSE was. Harry would barely look at him right now.   
  
The thought of that kind of killed him. Did Harry hate him now? He couldn't, right? Yes, he'd lied to Harry, and no, that wasn't right. But he was trying to make things right and that had to count for something.   
  
He looked up at Harry again. Harry looked particularly frustrated today, and he looked like he wanted to punch the wall every time he got something wrong. Louis sighed and shook his head. He had to think of something.   
  
"Hey Louis."   
  
Louis looked to his side as Zayn sat down beside him. "Hey."   
  
"So, I couldn't help noticing that you and Harry are being weird."   
  
Louis wasn't sure what to say to that. He'd barely been able to say anything that morning when Liam realized he'd slept in Zayn's room in the first place. Zayn hadn't been too happy about that, but he'd grudgingly obliged, as there were two beds in the room anyway. Louis had gone right to sleep.   
  
And of course had a sex dream about Harry. Of course  _he_  would after they'd just had a fight and he was staying in Zayn's room. Waking up to reality had been quite awkward. He had woken up hard and escaped to the bathroom first thing, making sure Zayn didn't wake up and see him. God, his life was so embarrassing.   
  
"Kind of, yeah." Louis said. "It'll be fine." he added, though he wasn't one-hundred percent that it would be.   
  
"Louis," Zayn said, turning to him fully, "I don't even know how to say this so I'm just going to. You and Harry need to stop your drama. There's already enough with Liam and Niall. It'll just get worse if you guys don't fix it. Just, I don't know, kiss and make up or something."   
  
Louis gave Zayn a smile, but he knew it didn't look like a very happy one. "It's more complicated than that, mate. I guess it's my fault, but it's about something  _big_  and I just..." He shrugged helplessly.   
  
"So apologize. You guys are supposed to be the ones who get along all the time. If you guys aren't talking, there's no hope for any of us."   
  
"No one gets along all the time." Louis pointed out dryly. "But you're right. I could at least apologize."   
  
They sat in silence until Harry was finished working on his choreography. As soon as he began to walk away, Louis took that opportunity to get up and walk toward Harry. Harry stood very still as Louis approached him. He frowned at Louis, and somehow that came across as if Harry didn't know him at all.   
  
"Harry," Louis said quietly, trying to look him in the eyes. It was hard when Harry was looking right through him. "I know you probably don't want to talk to me right now. But I just want to say I'm sorry for lying to you. And I know it looks bad, but the liking you thing - it wasn't fake. I mean I was told to, yeah, but that was  _after_  the first time we... you know. Kissed."   
  
Harry's expression didn't change, which was quite impressive in a sad way because usually Louis could cheer Harry up whenever he was in a mood. Then again, Louis was never really the cause of Harry's moods. He blinked once and then stepped around Louis without saying a word.   
  
" _Harry!_ " Louis exclaimed, louder than he meant to. But it turned out it didn't matter, because Harry walked away anyway, backstage to the dressing rooms most likely. It didn't matter how loud Louis was, because Harry didn't care. Maybe he was pretending not to care. Still, Harry had  _ignored_  him. He had never done that, and Louis hated it.   
  
Louis turned around, annoyed, and saw Zayn giving him the most sympathetic look he'd ever seen. Somehow that filled Louis with determination. He took out his phone and texted Zayn that he would be back in a few minutes and turned and ran out the door in the opposite direction Harry had gone in.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Liam passed Harry in the hallway and tried to smile at him, but his other friend looked lost in his own little world as he stomped off toward the dressing room. Whatever was wrong before was still wrong.   
  
He found Niall sitting on his break, playing on his phone, no doubt on that website. He smiled and sat next to Niall, careful not to look at his phone for multiple reasons. He didn't want to invade Niall's privacy, but he also didn't want to see him messaging Xavier. This jealousy, or whatever it was, was quite a problem.  
  
"What're you doing?" he asked casually, trying his best to look away. He didn't want to stare at the guy. Alright, it wouldn't be so terrible. Niall was... good looking. And how he was looking at his phone, all intrigued... he was  _cute_.   
  
Liam grew nervous. He was thinking about how nice Niall looked. He was  _letting himself_  think it. It was okay, he realized. Admitting it to himself hadn't caused the end of the world.   
  
"I'm just messaging Xavier." Niall said. He sounded odd, Liam thought. Then Niall turned to him. "The show he's coming to is next week. I don't know what to do."   
  
"His friend is dragging him along, isn't he?" Liam asked carefully. He really would like to talk about anything but this. "You know how Louis was in charge of giving a fan backstage passes that last time? Maybe you could give Xavier's friend backstage passes. Even if you don't tell him who you are it's still a nice gesture."   
  
He realized that maybe this was a stupid idea. No, it was definitely a stupid idea. But he wanted to be supportive, no matter how much it sucked.   
  
Niall shrugged. "Yeah. I guess I will. If I can get enough information out of him I'll do it. Don't know if I can."   
  
"You can give the passes to them before the show, pretend it's random." Liam told him.   
  
"Yeah," Niall said, considering it. Then he smiled again and asked suggestively, "So how was your night? Fun?"   
  
"It was fine." Liam replied, once again reminded of his stupid guilt and lack of interest in the girl. Seriously, she was so pretty. He should have been able to... no, his instincts were right. It wasn't him. It wasn't what he wanted. "Um, Niall..."   
  
Niall met his eyes. It was suddenly like he couldn't look away. Liam took a deep breath. If he  _was_  interested in Niall in that way, it would make sense to kiss him, wouldn't it? His gaze dropped to Niall's mouth and he realized just how close they actually were. It was obnoxious. Not because he was close to Niall, but because they were  _here_ , backstage, with people all around them. Not only that, but Niall didn't want to kiss him. He wanted to kiss  _Xavier._    
  
When he realized that, he looked away quickly and changed the subject. "Do you think Harry and Louis are alright?"   
  
Niall looked thoughtful. "I don't know. I-"   
  
"You guys, what are we going to do about our friends?" Zayn asked as he approached them and sat down on Liam's other side. "Louis just tried to talk to Harry and Harry was like 'fuck you' basically and ran away."   
  
"That's weird." Liam said. "Really weird actually."   
  
Zayn said in a very quiet voice, "Harry said something weird the other day. He asked Louis if he'd feel bad if they were in a relationship and we didn't like it." Liam and Niall both looked at him. .... What? "And normally I would think this was stupid, but considering Niall these days... what if they like each other and they're too stupid to say it?"   
  
 _That_  sparked a few new thoughts that Liam had never considered before. Harry and Louis... together? As weird as that seemed, it sort of made sense. They flirted all the time anyway, though Liam had always assumed it was just for show. Just to please the Larry Stylinson fans. Of course they were close friends, but Liam had figured that was it. But if they  _did_  fancy each other, would anyone really be surprised? It also worried him. Niall potentially being gay was one thing. His weird jealousy/crush thing was another. But Harry and Louis as an actual couple? He wasn't sure the world could handle it if it came out that most of them swung the way they tried really hard to prove they didn't. After all, they always tweeted girls, had girls in their music videos, had girl dancers, had the word "girl" in several songs, and just generally tried to impress the  _girls_. But Liam couldn't deny that something weird was going on with Harry and Louis and maybe it was a gay kind of weird.   
  
He said, "That could be it" just as Niall said, "No."   
  
Liam and Zayn both looked at Niall curiously. He had said  _no_  with such confidence that maybe he knew something. "Niall?" Liam asked, "What do you mean?"   
  
Niall looked surprised that he'd actually said it himself. "I mean that if they liked each other they would tell each other." he said, "That's all."   
  
"Have they?" Liam asked him, meeting Niall's eyes again. And Niall blush deepened which meant that, yeah, Harry and Louis had already admitted their feelings to each other.   
  
"So it's a lovers' quarrel then." Zayn concluded, not even looking bothered by the information. Liam was impressed, especially if it turned out that Zayn really was the only straight one. Then Zayn asked, "How do you even know?"   
  
"Saw them kissing." Niall said as quiet as he could, "I shouldn't even-"   
  
"It's alright. We won't tell them that we know. At least not yet." Zayn said slyly. And then he looked into Liam's eyes as if to say  _See? Even Harry and Louis are gaying it up together, tell Niall you want him or else._  Liam just shot Zayn back a helpless look because he he wasn't sure it was that easy.   
  
"Well, don't tell them I said anything. I didn't even mean to." Niall grumbled, finally putting his phone in his pocket. He looked up and his eyes widened, and Liam and Zayn looked in the same direction. Harry was coming back from the dressing rooms, headed toward them. When he reached them, he gave them a fake  _I'm okay, really, nothing to see here_  smile and said he'd see them on the stage. It came out all weird, though. It sounded like it was a struggle to say it.   
  
When Harry reached the stage, they heard a loud voice greet him. Louis. Liam quickly looked at Zayn and Niall and they all had the same idea at the same time. Quickly, they got to their feet and walked in the direction Harry had gone in, peeking around the corner. Louis stood before Harry... and he was holding a flower.   
  
"Is he serious?" Zayn whispered.   
  
"Oh my god, he's getting down on one knee." Niall observed.  
  
And Louis  _was_. Harry stared down at Louis while Louis sank to one knee, holding up the flower. He had to hand it to Louis - he didn't have a goofy look on his face or anything.   
  
"Harry Styles," Louis said with a bit of a nervous squeak to his voice, "Will you speak to me?"   
  
Harry's mouth was wide open in shock, and he looked around the stage. Everyone had stopped moving around and began watching them. Then he looked down at Louis again, who still held up flower hopefully. "I can't do this right now, Louis."   
  
That snapped Louis out of whatever hopeful mood he was in. He stood right up and faced Harry. "Why not? We need to talk."   
  
"Not now and not here." Harry shot back, stepping around Louis and walking away to the opposite end of the stage. Liam watched Harry, surprised. This was really serious, and no doubt this was going to be on the tabloid websites by the end of the day.   
  
Frustrated, Louis groaned and turned to find Niall, Liam, and Zayn all staring at him. He said, "You might as well come over."   
  
They did, but none of them asked Louis any questions about what had just happened. Maybe Louis thought it was obvious, or maybe he just didn't want to talk about it. Either way, he began talking about rehearsals, and a few minutes later, all five of them reconvened and began rehearsing again. Liam noticed that, like earlier, Harry wouldn't even look at Louis.   
  
He hoped that they solved this problem soon.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o  
  
  
The next week was just odd. Well, their lives were never ordinary. But it was still odd. Because Harry still wouldn't speak to him.   
  
Louis sat alone in his hotel room, looking through all of the articles he'd been sent. For some reason, the fans liked sending him everything they'd found about his and Harry's argument. It hadn't even  _been_  an argument, not really. The papers had embellished a lot, saying they'd actually had a fistfight there on the stage, that Harry had full on yelled at him. In reality, Harry had just ignored him.   
  
Louis sighed. Just ignored him, as if that wasn't a big deal either. But it really was. Yes, he knew he had messed up, but he had expected Harry to talk to him by now. But no. It was a week later, and Harry was still ignoring him. And what made it worse was that Louis refused to leave Harry's side whenever they left their hotels, just in case the tagger Adrian sent showed up.   
  
But he left Harry to his own at night. It  _sucked_.   
  
They had fallen into a routine for the past few days. Traveling, rehearsing, performing, eating, going back to their hotel rooms. Louis knew Harry was safe once he was back at his room. The guy wasn't stupid; now that he knew someone was trying to come after him, he wasn't going to go out and flirt with danger or open the door to more vampires (hopefully). He felt safe enough knowing that his room was just down the hallway from Harry's.   
  
But... he  _missed_  him. He didn't realize how much he would miss him the night Harry had kicked him out of their room. Well, he  _knew_  it, but he could really feel it now. Everything felt more empty without Harry there. He had grown used to just laying on his bed while Harry went to take a shower, or watching stuff on TV with him late at night. It didn't even have to be about snogging or sex, not that they'd done much of it. He missed Harry in general.  _A lot._  He just...  _wanted_  him here.   
  
But he had blown it.   
  
On the other side of things, he hadn't been in touch with many people other than the other guys. His mum had briefly texted him and said ' _met with A - went alright x_ ' but never actually expanded upon that. Louis accepted it, though. If his mum said it went alright, then it had. Though 'alright' could have meant anything from Adrian backing off to Adrian generously deciding not to kill Louis. Louis was pretty sure it wasn't the former.   
  
He started watching a show that he'd downloaded, but about ten minutes into it, his cell phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was a number he didn't recognize. He answered anyway.   
  
"Hello?" he asked curiously, pausing the show on his iTunes.   
  
"Louis?" whispered the familiar voice.   
  
He sat up straight on the bed. " _Hannah_? Where have you  _been_? I've been trying to contact you every day and-"   
  
"I know," she whispered, "Adrian is making me stay here." That meant that he was making her stay with him and his people as they traveled around the country, meeting with other members as they reported back to him. "I'm alright, but he always has his guys watching over me. I couldn't call you earlier."   
  
"What?  _Why_?"   
  
"Because we were talking in secret about your intentions not to tag Harry, and also to try and untag the shifters you already tagged. He filled me in on everything. I don't blame you, Lou. People  _we're tagging_  are dying. That's not what I signed up for."  
  
"You're being treated alright then at least? I'll figure out how to get you away from there as soon as possible. How are you even calling me right now? I-"   
  
"Your mum gave me a disposable phone. She figured something was going on and snuck it into my pocket when she was here." Hannah explained. "And I stepped out for some air. Flirted with one of the guys and he let me out. They'll notice in a few minutes, I guess. Adrian has my other phone, Lou."   
  
His mum was amazing. Adrian, on the other hand... "I swear I'll-"   
  
"Louis, don't do anything." Hannah insisted. "Not yet. That's what he wants you to do. He wants you to come barging in to save me and he believes you will because he thinks we're still together."  
  
"You're still one of my best friends and you're  _trapped_  there-"   
  
"Listen to me, Louis. I'm just calling to tell you I'm alright. I'm going to try and convince Adrian that I'm not on your side, though I am. Here's what  _you_  are going to do. Go about your life like normal. Sing, do everything like normal. If anyone tries to tag Harry, stop them, of course. I'm going to be alright."   
  
"Hannah. No-"   
  
" _Louis._  Yes. I'm going to find a way out of here. Adrian promised he'd keep me safe and he might be a douchebag, but he keeps his promises. If you don't come, he'll probably realize keeping me here is pointless. Listen, I have to go. I'll be fine." And then she was gone.   
  
Louis stared at his phone for a few seconds before placing beside his computer where it had been before. Adrian had Hannah.  _Shit_. And worse, he knew she was right. The whole thing was a trap because Adrian thought that Louis would go looking for her. And despite that, he was tempted. But if he met up with Adrian, who knew what would happen? Adrian would probably lock him away in a dungeon somewhere, knowing him. And Hannah had said she was fine, which meant she  _wasn't_  in a dungeon. Adrian had this thing about keeping girls out of dungeons and out of danger anyway. Usually it annoyed him that Adrian treated girls differently, but right now he was grateful. Still, it took all of his strength not to do anything despite what she'd said.   
  
Then there was a knock on the door, and Louis, hoping it was Harry, practically ran to it. When he saw it was Liam, his enthusiasm waned and he opened the door, plastering a fake smile on his face. Alright, it wasn't completely fake, because he loved his friends. But he  _really_  wanted Harry to come speak to him. "Liam! To what do I owe the pleasure?"   
  
Liam walked into the room and shut the door, facing Louis. "Niall's online friend person is coming to the show tomorrow. So be on your best behavior."   
  
" _What_?" Louis asked. "Me? You're the one most likely to shove the guy into a room and lock him in there."   
  
Liam frowned. "I wouldn't do that. That's mean. Anyway, no antics and pranks. Xavier doesn't know that Niall is actually him. And Niall is nervous about it."   
  
Louis wasn't too sure about that. Ever since Harry and Zayn had mentioned that Liam and Niall probably wanted each other, he had been studying his two friends, and realized how much they actually stared at each other. Liam probably made Niall  _more_  nervous. In fact, Louis would even go as far as to say Niall looked a little bored whenever he was on that website. Like it had become an obligation. And now he felt like he  _should_  give Xavier backstage passes rather than he wanted to.   
  
"Why don't you just snog him?" Louis blurted out. A few seconds of silence passed, but Louis didn't regret saying it. He was  _right_.   
  
Liam bit his lip and reached out to the door. "I have to go-"   
  
"Liam, mate, no you don't." Louis said, desperate for company. Also, if he couldn't fix his own situation right now, the least he could do was try and give Liam advice. "Come on, you can talk to me about it."   
  
Hesitant, Liam turned back to him. "I can't."   
  
And then Louis said, "I fancy Harry."   
  
Liam probably hadn't expected Louis to be so open about it. He had probably thought that they would engage in all of these secret relationships for years before they actually talked about it. This was pretty clear from his shocked expression. But then he slowly nodded. "I figured. Does he like you back?"   
  
"I think so. He did until I lied to him about something that I can't really talk about. Anyway, I know what you're going through."   
  
Liam blinked, clearly still surprised he was having this conversation. "But... you guys have been acting gay since last year. It's not, like,  _a surprise_."   
  
That was true. Louis and Harry had always been very touchy-feely, after all. "Alright, but we're all in One Direction. So I  _do_  know what you're going through." He sat down, and reluctantly Liam sat down next to him. "So vas happenin?"   
  
His younger friend took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he looked Louis square in the eye. "Alright, first of all, it sounds weird when anyone but Zayn says that."   
  
"Stop changing the subject." Louis admonished him gently. "I know you're doing that on purpose."   
  
"Right." Liam said. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. When he opened them again, he shook a little. "I... really like him, Louis. I didn't even realize until I became jealous of him having some online potential boyfriend. And he's  _a guy_. I... can't."   
  
Louis sighed and lay back on the bed. "Oh Liam, who cares if he's a guy?"  
  
"Who  _cares_?" Liam repeated back, shocked.   
  
"Yeah, I mean, once you get over it, you realize it's not a big deal. We have the same parts. So what? The weirdest thing is that you're in the same band." Or in Louis and Harry's case, being a PAUSE member and a witch who fancied each other. He was pretty sure that wasn't a problem for Liam and Niall. "But it's not like you have to tell the world if you like him. Just take him and snog him. You'll be glad you did."   
  
"I doubt you were this easy going when you realized about yourself."   
  
"Well, I mean, I'm not gay." Louis said, shrugging. "And I guess that was kind of tough, because I'm supposed to like girls and all. But it's about the person. And you like Niall, so that's all that matters."   
  
Liam sighed. "How about some TV?"   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry hated everything. Well, he didn't, but he kind of did at the same time. He hated wearing fake smiles when he greeted the fans, and he hated pretending he was alright. Well, other than the Louis thing. Because everyone knew that they had had a bit of an argument. It was all over the papers, and everyone kept asking Harry about it. Some fans had even tried giving him _advice_ , or hinting that they hoped he and Louis would be best friends forever. Each time, Harry choked out that everything was fine, but he worried that they could tell it wasn't.   
  
And then there was Louis, who wanted to keep him away from the fans. He said that any one of them could be the tagger sent by PAUSE. He had had the nerve to tell Harry this in the bathroom, because Harry wouldn't talk to him otherwise.   
  
It wasn't like he didn't miss Louis. He  _did_. But how could he be sure what was real and what was fake now? And he hadn't apologized for looking down on supernaturals either, which was what had upset Harry a week ago when Louis had pulled that flower stunt. He'd apologized for lying, but he hadn't apologized for being judgmental. He thought back to when Louis had backed him up against that wall and said  _You know me. I'm not judgy._    
  
Yeah. Right. Not judgy. Sure.   
  
Right now, he stood backstage with Zayn, Liam, and Louis. Niall had gone to "randomly" give Xavier and his friend their backstage passes. Liam and Louis kept exchanging weird glances, and the fact that Harry noticed this made him realize he was staring too much. He knew it was stupid. He shouldn't want to look at Louis... but he was still Louis. He just needed to know what was real. Were his feelings for Harry ever real? And why were Liam and Louis exchanging weird looks? Had Louis  _told_  him something?   
  
 _Harry, get out._    
  
Harry sucked in his breath and looked around. What was that?   
  
It hadn't been said aloud. He knew that immediately. Being magical, he was well-aquainted with telepathy. But... he hadn't heard the voice well enough to make out whose it was.   
  
 _Get. Out. You. Idiot._  
  
That time, he knew who it was. It was Isabel's voice. How could she....  _Oh_. She could get in his head because she drank his blood. How could he be so stupid? And why was she telling him to get out?   
  
"Guys, this is Xavier! His friend didn't show up."   
  
Harry glanced up to find Niall approaching with Xavier. He looked just like the picture Niall had showed him. But in pictures it was hard to tell anything about his character. Everything was dulled in a picture. But now Harry saw Xavier in real life. He was pretty good-looking he had to admit. He stood up straight, seemed confident.   
  
But then their eyes met. They looked familiar. The color, the shape. Other little details of his face.   
  
And then he remembered. And he realized.   
  
 _I got turned by a vampire I was supposed to kill. It wasn't actually that long ago. Only person I missed_ at first _was my brother, but as soon as he learned that I had turned he disowned me anyway._  
  
Isabel's brother was still in PAUSE. Xavier was Isabel's brother.   
  
And Xavier was smiling right at him.


	11. Chapter 11

Harry stood very still. He couldn't act like he knew. His eyes were locked with Xavier's and he tried not to show any fear, but he was actually terrified.   
  
Liam and Zayn shook Xavier's hand, and Louis was next. Harry nudged Louis and Louis turned to him. Harry didn't say a word, but Louis must have been able to read him well because his eyes widened with recognition, probably just that Xavier was a tagger. He glanced back at Xavier and shook his hand then. "Hi. I'm  _Louis_."   
  
"I know." Xavier said, feigning innocence. He glanced down at their hands, and then grinned at Louis. "Nice to meet you."   
  
"Nice to meet  _you_." Louis echoed. Harry recognized Louis' sarcastic voice, and despite how annoyed he was at everything at the moment, it pleased him.   
  
Xavier eased his hand out of Louis' and then looked to Harry, holding out his hand. Harry panicked. He couldn't let Xavier touch him. Any time he touched him he could tag him. So Harry squeezed his eyes shut and did the first thing he could think of. Charmed himself into a sneezing and coughing fit. He began sneezing suddenly and brought up his hands to shield everyone from the snot. But it covered his hands. Despite having to sneeze and cough so much, he smiled into his hands. Xavier wouldn't want to shake hands now.   
  
Much to his luck, Xavier gave him a disgusted look and shoved his hands into his pockets.   
  
Harry told the boys, "Sorry," Sneeze. "Gotta take," Sneeze. "Care of this." Sneeze. Cough.   
  
As he ran off, Zayn called loudly, "Hope that's over by showtime!"   
  
Harry made sure it was over by the time he reached the dressing room. As soon as he got there, he slammed the door and locked it, hoping that Louis would take care of the Xavier situation. He cleaned himself up with his magic, and then he took out his phone and proceeded to call his mum.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
When Niall excused himself to go to the bathroom, everyone, including Louis, gave him a look as if to say  _you invited him and you're ditching him._  Though Louis couldn't blame Niall for having to go to the bathroom. The problem was that Niall kept doing his "itching to get away" motions. So he ran off, leaving the rest of them. Then Zayn sighed really loud and told Liam that they needed to talk about something, dragging  _him_  away.   
  
They had no idea what they were doing. But it was alright, because Louis wanted to have words with Xavier anyway.   
  
Louis hadn't recognized Xavier right away. But when Harry had looked at him, frozen, kind of scared, and shocked, Louis had gotten it. Harry rarely ever showed it if he was scared. He had frozen Isabel and wiped her mind as if he did that kind of thing every day, even though he didn't. So for Harry to completely freeze up in front of someone he didn't know, that was what clued Louis in. It had actually only taken a moment for him to realize.   
  
Because when he thought about it,  _really thought about it_ , it was too easy. Xavier was a member of PAUSE and had been talking to Niall since the beginning,  _planning_  this. Which meant that Adrian must have expected Louis to stop tagging. Maybe he had even known about Harry since the beginning. Maybe he knew more than anyone had ever realized.   
  
Maybe he knew about everyone. Maybe that was.... maybe that was what he used witches for. Took their powers somehow gave those abilities to PAUSE members in different forms. After all, how exactly did Louis have a device that made him invisible? Someone had tried to explain it to him once, but it had sounded like a bunch of crap and Louis had just assumed he was no good at understanding science. Maybe it actually  _was_  crap. Maybe what the PAUSE member had meant was... nothing. Maybe it was a fake explanation.   
  
"Just you and me, I guess!" Xavier said with mock cheer. There was a teasing look in his eyes.   
  
Louis stepped closer to him. "I know who you are." Well, that wasn't completely true. All he knew was that Xavier was a member of PAUSE. He didn't know all the members, and realized that Xavier must have been from a different region.   
  
"And I know who  _you_  are." Xavier replied, grinning slyly. "Obviously."   
  
"Go away." Louis ordered him. "Just go. Leave the venue. Just  _leave_. You're not going to tag him."   
  
Xavier crossed his arms. "Aren't I? It's my job, and you can't exactly stop me. You should really let me do my job, Louis. Unless you want Niall, Liam, and Zayn to know what you've been hiding from them.  _For a year._ "   
  
"Don't you dare." Louis said in a hushed voice. "And if you even touch him-"   
  
"Oh, you know better than anyone all it takes is one touch. One simple little touch. I could pat him on the shoulder, I could pretend there's something on him that I need to remove because it's bothering me, I could even touch his hair. If I reach his scalp, that's fair game as well." Louis glared at him and Xavier laughed, "All of the opportunity you've had to tag him and you failed."   
  
"I didn't fail. I refused." Louis told him. "Innocent supernaturals are being killed. Witches are being  _used_  by our organization. Don't you think that's the slightest bit wrong? PAUSE is supposed to be all about humanity, but hurting others isn't actually that humane."   
  
Xavier rolled his eyes. "There is  _no_  such thing as an innocent supernatural. Sooner or later, they'll hurt someone. Or they will take advantage of their power, use it in a way no one should. They always do. Which is why they need to be regulated. And if some die, it's because they need to. They're  _not_  innocent."   
  
Louis staggered back at Xavier's words. Was that how he sounded when he talked to Harry that night? If he sounded like that, no wonder Harry was still so upset with him. He felt ill suddenly.  
  
"You had no problem tagging before," Xavier pointed out, "At least that's what Adrian told me. You can't just make an exception for Harry. It doesn't  _work_  that way, Louis."   
  
"Yeah, I get that." Louis informed him.   
  
"Excuse me, you'll have to take your seat now."   
  
They turned to find a member of the backstage crew walking toward them. Louis had never been so grateful in his life. Xavier couldn't say anything without giving himself away as he was escorted out the door so that he could take his seat in the crowd. Louis watched him and then ran toward the dressing room he knew Harry had probably locked himself into. He knocked carefully. "Harry? Are you in there?"   
  
"Louis?" Harry called.   
  
"Yeah, it's me. He's gone for now." Louis replied. "Can I come in?"   
  
A moment later, the door opened, and Harry peeked through cautiously. Then he opened the door for Louis and he stepped in, shutting the door behind him. He faced Harry and tried to smile, but Harry was already looking away. It surprised Louis when he spoke, because he had been expecting more of the silent treatment. "I just called my mum to warn her not to open the door to strangers."   
  
"Is that all you said?" Louis asked him, stepping closer tentatively.   
  
Harry shook his head. "No. I told her. About what's going on."   
  
"I thought you would have in the past week." Louis said, surprised.   
  
"I didn't want to worry her. She's already worried enough with me on my own. Well, not on my own, but with you guys. I-" And then as if Harry realized what he was doing,  _talking to him_ , he grew quiet again and looked away.   
  
"We can't stay in here forever." Louis said. "We have to be on stage in a few minutes. We should be ready by now."   
  
Still not looking at him, Harry lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, changing his own outfit to the one he had been wearing on stage the past week. Louis blinked. For some reason, he wanted to ask if that hurt. But he knew that was stupid. He had learned about witch powers and knew that stuff like that didn't hurt. Harry probably hadn't felt a thing. Still, he stared at Harry in awe. He wondered if Harry was intentionally trying to rub his magic in Louis' face, thinking that Louis would freak out about it. And yeah, it was different, but he was more intrigued than anything by  _how_  Harry used his magic.   
  
"Think you can do that for me?" Louis asked quietly, "Please?"   
  
Harry looked him square in the eye now. "Seriously? After what you said about supernaturals? Why would you even  _want_  that?"   
  
"Because..." Louis took a deep breath. He wasn't sure either. After all, he wasn't supposed to approve of all this. But then again, why did Harry need his approval in the first place? And his guess was right, he had insulted supernaturals as a group, and now Harry was angry with him. It wasn't just because of the tagging and lying. "I guess... I want to try and understand. Because I'm not sure you get it. I was raised to be afraid of you guys and to act on my fear. It still freaks me out, the amount of power supernaturals have. But... I want to try. Even if I don't completely love it now. I mean, I have to admit. The stuff I've seen you do is pretty cool. It's the stuff that goes on in covens that freaks me out."   
  
"I don't even know what happens in covens." Harry said. "I'm not supposed to know until I turn eighteen. I take it it's something big?"   
  
"What I've heard is that it's big. Like, changing the course of history big." Louis confessed. "And that freaks me out. Like, there are things that have happened in history that people just don't _remember_  because witches erased them. I know I probably shouldn't have told you that, but when you join your coven, you'll learn everything in more detail."   
  
Realization crossed Harry's face and to Louis' surprise he looked slightly sympathetic now. "Yeah, but you can't base your opinion off what you've heard. So that's what PAUSE runs on. Fear. Do I scare you?"   
  
Louis gave that some thought. What Harry could do was different, would shock anyone who didn't know about magic. But he hadn't done anything to harm anyone. He used it to save him from Isabel, he'd used it to ease along a handjob, and he'd just changed his outfit. And he knew Harry. Harry would never hurt anyone. He shook his head. "No. Of course not. Wait," he said, realizing what was going on with a smile, "Are we actually talking this out?"   
  
Harry didn't answer him. Instead, he stretched out his arm and snapped at Louis. Louis looked down at his new outfit. Unlike the one Harry was wearing, Louis hadn't been wearing this one for the past week. Still, it was definitely something he'd wear. Only, his clothes were tighter than before, especially in the crotch area. He snorted. Even when they were in a fight, Harry would.  
  
Harry gave him a small smile. It was shy and tentative but still. A smile. It was so much better than any look Harry had given him the past week. Louis grinned back widely. He knew they'd have to talk more later, but things were on the way to improvement.   
  
They were called out to the stage then, and Louis said, "Xavier was forced to go to his seat. If we leave, it's okay. And then as soon as the show is over, we can get out of here."   
  
"We?"   
  
"Wherever you go, I'm going with you." Louis promised, "Whether you want me to or not."   
  
Harry pursed his lips and then took a deep breath. Then he reached for the doorknob. "Come on. Let's go."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o  
  
  
Harry and Louis were both on edge during the first half of the show. Liam kept an eye on them, considering how they had been acting for the past week. What pleased him was that the two of them stuck together. Still, they kept looking out to the crowd as if they were searching for someone in particular. Their singing was off, and Liam had to pick up one of Harry's lines when he missed the beginning. Harry shot him a grateful look, but turned back to Louis and then the crowd.   
  
At intermission, Harry and Louis both disappeared, running off too fast for Liam to go looking for them. Zayn went off to the bathroom, leaving Niall and Liam standing backstage together.   
  
They looked at each other, and Liam asked, "Water?"   
  
Niall nodded and they walked together to go get their water bottles. They walked into the dressing room together, shutting the door behind them. Niall went to his bag to check his phone, and Liam watched him. He was probably checking the website, seeing if Xavier had sent him a message about how dumb their concert was. But then he looked up at Liam. "Ten minutes."   
  
Liam smiled at him. Sometimes it was unbelievable that they actually performed at venues this size. Shows all of their own with  _intermissions_  in between. During their shows they still performed a few covers, but they also performed songs from their own album. It was insane, amazing, and ridiculous. And it was perfect.   
  
Could fancying his male bandmate ruin that? What if they liked each other and dated? And then what if they broke up, claiming they would never speak to each other again?   
  
Niall seemed completely unaware of what was going on inside Liam's head. He had gone back to checking his phone and this time, it was just text messages. Liam wondered if too much would change if he told Niall how he felt. After all, Niall had trusted him with  _his_  secret. The most Niall would do was make fun of him, probably call him a closet case. He thought about it for a moment and then he realized that Niall was staring at him again.   
  
"You alright? You're making your serious thinking face." Niall observed, smirking.   
  
"Do you think anything is going to happen with you and Xavier?" Liam asked him, trying to remain as respectful as possible. Because he couldn't really say anything if Niall's answer was yes.   
  
Niall shook his head. "Nah. He's alright, just..." He shrugged, his eyes locking with Liam's now. It was so intense that Liam stopped breathing for a second. "Not what I want."   
  
What happened next was something Liam had been pretty sure never would. He wasn't sure  _how_  it happened. But somehow, their eye contact didn't break and Liam stepped forward. Niall didn't move back. Instead, he raised his eyebrow, almost like he was  _challenging_  him. Liam stepped even closer, and stared down into Niall's eyes as if to say  _last chance_.   
  
Liam had no idea what he was doing. After all, Niall was a  _guy_. But he reached around Niall and put his hands on his back. Then he pulled Niall to him and kissed him. He cursed silently because he realized that was probably a move someone would use with a girl, but then he realized he was overthinking the situation and just stopped caring.   
  
And when he stopped caring, he realized he was kissing  _Niall_. And that Niall was kissing him back. And suddenly... it felt natural. It wasn't all  _that_  different than kissing a girl. The main difference was that it was Niall. But it was alright. It was  _really_  alright, and it actually felt really good. Maybe it really didn't matter who he kissed - girl  _or_  guy.   
  
He pushed  _all_  thoughts out of his mind as he continued to kiss Niall, and somehow his hands wound up holding Niall's face as he used his tongue to open Niall's mouth. And he was  _happy_. He realized that there was nowhere else he would rather be in that moment, and the last few times he'd kissed people it had been totally different. Niall let out a little moan, and then pulled back, regarding Liam. Niall's face was bright red and Liam realized that he had done this to him minutes before they had to go on stage again. But then again, maybe  _his_  face was red as well.   
  
"Wow." Niall said quietly as Liam moved his hands down to Niall's arms. " _Okay_."   
  
Okay? "It was okay?"   
  
"I mean..." Niall's eyes widened. "Like... what  _was_  that?"   
  
"What do you mean?" Liam asked, confused. "It was a kiss."   
  
"Why?"   
  
"Because I wanted to."   
  
Niall suddenly made  _his_  serious thinking face, the one he didn't use very often. "But when I told you about me you said that you didn't want me to like you. But you kissed me."   
  
"I was wrong." Liam promised. "I'm stupid. I...  _like_  you, Niall. I want you to myself. I'm not just messing with you, you know I wouldn't do that."   
  
Niall blinked at him, and then his smirk from before was back. "Wait, hold on. You were jealous of Xavier. That's why you acted like a douche about him!"   
  
Liam shrugged. "Whatever got me here, right?"   
  
"Damn right." Niall said, reaching up. Suddenly they were kissing again, and Niall had pulled Liam back with him against the table with the mirror. Liam was in complete awe. He couldn't believe that he was kissing Niall again, that this time Niall had initiated it. Niall moved so that he was sitting on the table and Liam walked up close to him. He felt a little hesitant but when he saw the look in Niall's eyes, Liam realized again that all that mattered was Niall and stepped forward, pressing himself into Niall. Their bodies were up against each other now, and Niall ran his hands through Liam's hair.   
  
And then there was a knock on the door. "Boys, be on the stage in two minutes!"   
  
Both boys pulled apart, staring at each other.   
  
Liam smiled. Maybe this would be easier than he thought it would.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"We need a plan." Louis said. "Just in case."   
  
Harry nodded. He completely agreed. They had to come up with something. He took a deep breath. "Let's act like we're still not talking. Maybe even to the guys, in case Niall talks to Xavier again. Maybe we can keep each other safe that way."   
  
Louis sighed. "I guess we have to. So, to be clear, we  _are_  talking?" He looked up hopefully into Harry's eyes.   
  
Harry knew this would happen. He knew that if he so much as spoke to Louis, his resolve would just disappear. He would look at Louis and wonder how he had stayed mad at him this long. No matter what his opinions on vampires, shapeshifters, and witches were, no matter what he had been ordered to do, he was  _Louis_. And that sucked because Harry  _knew_  he should be stronger than this. Louis was his weak spot. He knew it. Everyone knew it.   
  
"We're talking." Harry confirmed. "But don't think you're off the hook, because-"   
  
"I know," Louis said softly, stepping just a bit closer to him. "I  _know_. You have to try and understand, though. That's what I was raised to believe. My whole family. Some of my friends. Even Hannah. We were raised with PAUSE ideas and it's hard to see differently. But I'm going to try because something I'm doing has to be wrong if you're not talking to me."   
  
 _What_? "Hannah is in PAUSE?"   
  
"Yeah." Louis replied awkwardly. "She's a tagger like me. We met through PAUSE and then ended up going to school together. We got together and then started working together. But when we broke up we kept working together because we're better as friends anyway. But I told her what's going on and she's pissed off as well. PAUSE is holding her hostage."   
  
" _What_?" How could Louis even concentrate on anything else when someone was being held hostage? How could Louis remain so calm about that?   
  
"In a cushy, deceptive way." Louis sat down on the chair. "She told me not to do anything because she's safe. It's a trap to get me there."   
  
"Or a trap to get me to get the coven there." Harry speculated. Louis' eyes widened, and Harry knew he hadn't thought about it that way. Maybe that was the case as well. "Maybe both. What are we going to do?"   
  
"People are just going to keep coming after you. Maybe both of us." Louis said. Then he looked up into Harry's eyes. "I'm so sorry."   
  
If Harry was smarter or had more resolve, he'd just shrug. But instead, he took Louis hand and squeezed it. Because no matter what, he cared for Louis. He couldn't deny that. And if Louis was trying to educate himself, that was all he could ask. Anyway, they were better together. Separate they were weaker. Louis took this as a good sign, apparently, because he gave Harry a goofy grin. "So things are better?"   
  
"Things are better." Harry told him. Because it was true. Things weren't perfect. But the fact that looking at Louis made him want to kiss him was definitely a sign that things had improved since just before the show. He had to admit, he had hated being so cold to Louis, even if Louis probably deserved it. There had to be a better way around it. Maybe things were worse on the outside, but Harry needed a constant. A rock. And for him that was Louis. And then he realized he had left out something vital. He had forgotten because he had been preoccupied by the fact that Xavier was a tagger. "There's something I have to tell you. Not about us."   
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Xavier. He's Isabel's brother."   
  
Louis dropped Harry's hand, suddenly more worried. "Oh by the way, Louis, Xavier is Isabel's  _brother_?"   
  
"You might not believe it, but Isabel's just trying to bring down PAUSE, in her sick I-don't-care-who-I-hurt way. If you're against PAUSE she's not going to try and hurt you."   
  
"She already did try." Louis reminded him. "You had to save my life."   
  
"You were trying to tag her." countered Harry. "She's not going to try and hurt you anymore. You don't have to like her. I don't like her either. But she told me about her brother. It took me about two seconds to realize who he was when we met him. They're on different sides. If we're not on Xavier's side, we're probably on Isabel's."   
  
"Maybe we can be on our own side. I really don't want to have anything to do with Isabel." Louis said honestly. Harry understood. He didn't want to either.   
  
As if she knew they were talking about her, and maybe she did, Harry heard her voice in his head again.   
  
 _Meet me after the show. You and Louis. We need to talk._    
  
Harry must have looked weird when he heard her voice, because Louis reached up to touch him again. His eyes filled with even more concern than they already had been from before. "Harry?"   
  
Harry held up a finger to tell Louis  _one minute_  and tried his best to send Isabel a telepathic message. He couldn't actually do telepathy, not without a charm, but maybe his connection to Isabel went both ways.  _How do I know I can trust you?_  
  
Apparently it worked because she sent back a message immediately.  _PAUSE wouldn't work with a vampire, you idiot. Nor would my brother._    
  
Harry breathed deeply. "Isabel wants us to meet with her after the show." Louis opened his mouth to speak, but Harry cut him off immediately. "I know, I know. But if she can help us at all. If she can help  _me_  not get tagged, I'm willing to. Will you do it? For me?"   
  
Louis gave him a shaky smile. "For you." he told Harry, sounding reluctant.   
  
Reluctant or not, Harry was grateful. He bent down and gave Louis a quick kiss on the mouth. "Obviously your mind is opening up already. Keep this up and you might be forgiven."   
  
"Shaddup, Curly." Louis teased. He reached up and pulled Harry's face to his again and their mouths met again. Harry sighed, wondering how he'd gone without this for a week. Alright, he had actually gone a whole year without this, but once he had kissed Louis, he knew he would want to do it again and again. No matter what happened, no matter how differently they were raised. The feeling that this gave him was much more powerful than that. He had known that all along.   
  
They were informed through the door that they had to be on stage in a few minutes, so they straightened themselves up and faced each other.   
  
"Remember. We were arguing." Harry smiled. "I was winning."   
  
"I beg to differ." Louis said as he reached out to turn the knob.   
  
Harry put on his best angry face as they left the room. Louis went one way. Harry saw Liam and Niall coming in the other direction, and approached them. "Well,  _that_  was a complete fail."   
  
Liam looked as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have, and Niall gave him a little smile. "What was, man?"   
  
"Tried to talk to Louis. You know. To talk it out. It's like having a conversation with a brick wall." Harry told them.   
  
Liam raised his eyebrows and exchanged a weird look with Niall before turning back to Harry, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Harry was surprised because it looked like Liam believed him. If he'd actually stayed angry, he probably would have been quiet about it like this past week. But Liam spoke to him quietly anyway. "Harry, you're best mates. Just hear him out. Try to talk again. We can't have this drama in the band."   
  
Harry narrowed his eyes. "That's none of your business, Liam."   
  
"It's his business if it's screwing up the band." Niall informed him.   
  
Harry shook his head, feigning annoyance, and stomped off toward the stage in an over-exaggerated rage. He took his position and caught Louis' eye. Louis stared at him, holding back a smile. Then he made an obscene gesture with his hands. Harry tried to glare, but ended up almost laughing. This was necessary. It had to be done. So instead he just rolled his eyes and looked away, pretending not to care what Louis did.   
  
He hadn't told Louis everything. When he had called his mum,  _everything_  came spilling out of his mouth, even what Louis was. To his surprise, his mum had actually not seemed that shocked and claimed that that theory had been floating around in her head for the past few weeks. When Harry had asked her why she hadn't thought to warn him, she had cryptically told him that she knew they would work it out. Besides, she knew that Louis was a good guy. When he did something, his heart was in the right place. He might not be educated the right way, but he wasn't a villain. And then she had said she knew how he felt about Louis.   
  
His heart started going crazy at that. She  _knew_? At his silence, Anne just chuckled softly and said, "Harry, I've known for months. It's difficult because how he's been raised, but it sounds like he's trying to do the right thing  _for you_  and for everyone in general. Give him a chance to do what he can. Show him his views are wrong. That's the best you can do, Harry. Ignoring him won't help." Then she sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, considering all of the crazy things you boys do and the fact that he's in PAUSE, but he's good for you, Harry."   
  
After she said that, he had told her he would update her as soon as possible. She had said that she would get the coven to work on this as well and they would go into hiding. He promised he would be safe, despite the fact that he wasn't actually sure, and they hung up.   
  
Then, he supposed, he forgave Louis. Despite arguing with himself over it, feeling he should have more resolve, he just couldn't do it anymore.   
  
Miraculously, they made it through the next half of the show. The moment they left the stage, Harry ran to change and Louis wasn't very far behind. They stepped into the dressing room for one moment and Harry magically changed their outfits quickly. Then they left separately, heading for the back exit, where Harry knew Isabel was waiting.   
  
She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, and looked bored when Harry and Louis both approached her. She glanced to the side and sighed. "Oh good. You brought the human."   
  
"The human's name is Louis. You know. You met him first." Harry said, glancing back and forth between Isabel and Louis. Louis just looked annoyed.   
  
"Oh, I know. I bit him after all." Isabel said lightly. "He tasted weird."   
  
"Piss off." Louis shot back, glaring at her. "You said we both needed to meet with you. Here we are. So don't act like a bitch."   
  
Harry sighed. It wasn't like he liked Isabel in the slightest, but he figured that maybe he should be the mediator between them. Louis looked like he wanted to stake her, and Isabel looked like she wanted to rip Louis' throat out. But somehow, he knew it wouldn't happen. Not unless it got any worse.   
  
"I think it's safe to say that if you're not on my side, I'm going to kill you." Isabel told Louis, looking past Harry. "But supposedly you hate PAUSE now?"   
  
"I'm just trying to do what's right." Louis said stiffly. "And I don't believe in killing people  _who don't deserve it_."   
  
Harry rolled his eyes. Oh brother. They really weren't going to stop threatening each other, were they? Harry was pretty sure Louis didn't even have a stake on him anyway. Not the smartest idea to upset an already angry vampire. He nudged Louis on his side, and Louis crossed his arms, glaring at Isabel.   
  
Harry looked at Isabel, letting Louis cool off a little. "Alright. So what do you need us for? Why are we here, exactly?"   
  
She smiled wickedly now. "Wait for it."   
  
"You two will have to come with me." a familiar voice said. Harry turned and Xavier stepped out from the shadows, his hands in his pocket. He grinned smugly, and Harry realized that he wasn't alone. He had other, bigger, PAUSE members with him. Harry took an instinctive step toward Louis and then turned to Isabel. Or tried to turn to Isabel. But she was gone.  _What?_    
  
What the fuck had just happened?   
  
Did she tell Xavier where to find them alone?   
  
Whose side was she really on? Had she sold them out?   
  
She had said that PAUSE wouldn't work with a vampire. But she could have lied. Had most likely lied. Somehow, he wasn't surprised by this. After all, she was a vampire who tried to kill Louis. Maybe she was the type to gravitate toward whatever side was winning.   
  
"You're coming with me." Xavier said, walking closer to them. And then he glanced at the five other PAUSE members surrounding them and shrugged. "Us, I mean."   
  
"Where?" Louis asked, his voice breaking.   
  
"To see your favorite person." Xavier replied. "Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can force you."   
  
Harry and Louis exchanged a look. Louis seemed worried, but mostly for Harry. Harry was terrified, but he gave Louis a brave smile. Then he remembered that they were supposedly fighting and looked away in a hurry.   
  
 _Go with them_ , Isabel told him telepathically.  _We're going to follow you._    
  
It was then that Harry realized that Isabel was using them to infiltrate PAUSE. If they acted like they were willing to give in to whatever they wanted, things would go smoother. Maybe they would let their guard down at some point. Either way, the vampires, and whoever else Isabel had on her side would be able to follow the vehicle. Or maybe they would find out some new information, doing this. Still. She had  _used them_  without so much as giving them a warning. Without their consent. That was so like her. He wondered where she'd end up at the end of all of this, if the end ever came.   
  
"We'll go." Harry said, speaking for them both.   
  
"Yeah." Louis simply offered. "Yeah, we'll go. But fuck you, Xavier. I'm just saying."   
  
Xavier rolled his eyes. "Right. Come on, guys."   
  
And with that, they were led away.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"Welcome!" Adrian said cheerfully as Harry and Louis sat down across from him. "I have to say, I didn't expect you two to give in so easily."   
  
"You can let Louis go." Harry said immediately. "He has nothing to do with me anymore. We're not even speaking. When I learned he was a part of this organization I erased him from my life. You guys just want me, right?"   
  
Xavier, who stood to the side, snorted at that. Adrian turned to him and said, "You're dismissed, Xavier."   
  
"But-"   
  
"Go." Adrian said sternly. When Xavier left, Adrian turned back to Louis and Harry. "Let me make one thing clear. I don't give a damn if you two are angry at each other. I can't let Harry go, obviously, and I can't let Louis go because he knows too much."   
  
"So we're hostages, like Hannah." Louis muttered bitterly. "Can I see her?"   
  
"Briefly." Adrian replied. He pressed an intercom and said, "Send Ms. Walker out for a moment. Louis wants to see her. Least we could do."   
  
It was only a minute until Hannah appeared in the doorway. As soon as she saw them, she walked over and gave Louis a hug and then, to Harry's surprise, gave him one as well. Harry actually felt relieved. Hannah may be a tagger, but maybe both she and Louis could grow to understand. If they ever got out of this situation, maybe he could have them talk to his mum about this. Maybe she could make them understand better than he ever could. Then again, Louis seemed like he was willing to try.   
  
"Alright, you may go now. You don't want to hear or see any of this." Adrian told Hannah, dismissing her.  _You don't want_  was clearly Adrian-speak for  _You're not allowed_. She glared for just a moment before leaving the room. Harry glanced over to see how Louis was, and he just sat still like before. Harry wished he could take his hand or something.   
  
"Louis, I told you that you would regret your decision. Tagging Harry should have been a simple job. Luckily we don't have to tag Harry anymore!" Adrian grinned in this way that Harry interpreted as pure evil. "Because we have him right here. I just had to you come see me so I could greet you. And I have to say, it really is something to meet the boy who converted Louis."  
  
Harry opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly felt something sharp in his back. He turned around to find a girl who couldn't have been more than fifteen, standing with a shot and a sharp needle in each hand. Whatever was in the shot, she had given it to Louis as well. Louis rubbed his shoulder where he had gotten the shot. "What the fuck did she just do, Adrian?" he asked the PAUSE president angrily.   
  
Harry studied Louis' eyes and saw that they were getting a bit droopy. Suddenly Harry felt an overwhelming rush of fatigue.   
  
Adrian waved the girl away and then smiled. "Relax, it's just a sedative. A rather powerful one. You two should be falling asleep right about... now."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
That night, Liam, Niall, and Zayn gathered in Zayn's hotel room. Liam texted Harry and Louis to see if they could come talk to them as well, but they did not reply. Liam was a bit annoyed with them. Maybe they were out trying to repair their friendship, but he really didn't want to have this discussion without them. He kind of wanted the band to have a meeting to come clean about all of their gay crush stuff so that it didn't feel like they were keeping secrets from each other when they all actually knew. But they couldn't reach Harry or Louis, and he figured that talking to Zayn would at least be a good start.   
  
Zayn gave them an amused grin as soon as he closed the door. "Let me guess. This is about your gay relationship."   
  
"What, are you psychic or something?" Niall asked in between chews as he ate his food from Nandos.   
  
"Oh good,  _finally_." Zayn said. He sat next to Niall on the bed and took out his food as well. "Seriously, it was getting ridiculous."   
  
"So you're fine with it?" Liam asked tentatively. Because even though he was pretty sure, he needed a confirmation.   
  
"Have I or have I not been telling you you were jealous of Xavier for weeks now?" Zayn reminded him. "You really can't hide it when you fancy someone, Liam. It's really sad."   
  
Niall snickered and Liam marched up to Zayn, stealing a bit of his food as a punishment. But it was difficult to get a reaction out of Zayn, like always. Zayn just shrugged and took some of Liam's food.   
  
"So yeah, Niall and I are a... thing." Liam said, looking to Niall for approval. Niall gave him a thumbs up while chewing and Liam laughed, wondering what he had gotten himself into.   
  
"Obviously." Zayn said. "About time is what I say. But shouldn't Harry and Louis be here for this talk?"   
  
"I couldn't find them. They disappeared right after the show and they're not responding to any of my calls or texts." Liam told him, growing worried again. "Usually they at least respond. They're okay, right?"   
  
"They probably checked into a different hotel to work out their sexual tension." Zayn said. Then he looked thoughtful and gagged. "On second thought, pretend I didn't say that. I don't want that image."   
  
Still, he was right. Harry and Louis were probably fine. They'd show up in the morning, acting like they hadn't disappeared at all. It was just the kind of thing they would do. Still, Liam couldn't help feeling slightly uneasy.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
When Harry came to, he realized that he was laying on a floor somewhere. Well, was on a blanket on a floor. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, taking in his surroundings.   
  
He was in a room. It was strangely bare, with a few books, a huge water jug, and some canned food in the corner. He noticed that there was a small bathroom the size of a closet. The room he was in wasn't much bigger. And then he took a closer look at the door to the room. No doorknob.   
  
Then he looked beside himself and saw that Louis was with him. As soon as he realized, he shook Louis awake.   
  
Louis stretched and yawned, sitting up as well. "Harry? They didn't separate us?"   
  
"Where are we, Louis?" Harry asked him seriously.   
  
Louis became more alert suddenly, and looked around, everywhere that Harry already had. He stood up and walked to the door, grabbing a piece of paper that was taped to it. Before he read it, he tried to push on the door to open it with no such luck. Then he looked down at the paper. Harry stood and walked closer to Louis. "What does it say?"   
  
Louis glanced up, his eyes betraying more fear than Harry had even seen. Even more than the night Harry had saved him from Isabel. When Harry read the typed note, he realized just what had had shaken Louis so much.   
  
 _Hello, boys!  
  
Welcome to your new living quarters!   
  
The first thing you need to know is that you cannot leave. The door will not open for you and no magic can leave this room, meaning you cannot use your magic to leave. You cannot use your magic to communicate with the outside world.   
  
New food and necessities will appear to you every few days. You may read the few books provided, or not. I do not particularly care.   
  
Nobody knows where you are. You will not be found. I will give you a hint, however. It is even plausible that you are no longer in Britain.   
  
I hope you find the living quarters comfortable and that they meet with your needs.   
  
Enjoy your stay. This is for the best._   
  
Harry stared at Louis with wide eyes. "Where are we?"   
  
Louis shook his head. "I have no idea."   
  
Harry dropped the paper. Then, because it was the only thing he could do, he wrapped his arms around Louis and pulled him into a tight hug.


	12. Chapter 12

After examining the room some more, they realized it really  _was_  bare. There was nothing on the walls, and the only things in the bathroom were a toilet, a small shower, and a sink that barely worked. There were some store-brand soaps, and Louis tried to use the names to figure out where they were. But it was no good. Everything provided to them was from a different country.   
  
He walked out of the bathroom to find Harry staring up at the ceiling, glancing at each corner. There was nothing up there. No cameras, nothing. Harry did some mumbo jumbo to see if there were any invisible ones and there weren't.   
  
"How long do you think we've been here?" Harry asked, now looking at him. Louis stared back, feeling guilty and horrible. He couldn't help but feel like he'd gotten Harry into this, even though he knew that wasn't logical. The truth was, Adrian had probably been planning this for awhile. Maybe he'd been suspicious of Harry longer than Louis had, especially since PAUSE seemed to be taking witch powers somehow.   
  
"I don't know. Few hours at least. Can witch powers transport us to different countries?" Louis asked.   
  
Harry looked uncertain. "I'm not sure. Like I said to you before, well, whenever it was, I don't know what witches with more power can do. The stuff I can do is really minor and doesn't stick. I can't transport people, but I wouldn't be surprised if coven members can."   
  
"Makes sense," Louis told him.   
  
"So we're stuck here in this room. What's the point?" Harry asked, looking around again.   
  
Louis was unsure. "There has to be a catch. Somewhere. There's a reason we're here. They're not spying on us... they could have locked us in a jail cell or something. Why here?" He had to admit that this was nicer than a cell, and it helped that he was with Harry, but it still made absolutely no sense.   
  
Hopefully they would understand soon. Perhaps the sooner they understood, the sooner they could find a way to get out of there. It seemed hopeless, because Harry couldn't use his powers to get them out of there, but Louis believed in Harry.   
  
He had no reason to be afraid of Harry, and he  _wasn't_. When they were performing on stage, he kind of realized that maybe he hadn't thought about all of this the whole way through.   
  
Yeah. Harry had magic powers. He could make things happen that weren't necessarily  _natural_. But Harry didn't really do bad things with his powers, and Harry was special to him. And he realized that maybe a lot of people had a Harry. Someone with magic that was special to them. He was pretty sure Harry's step-dad didn't have magic, but since Anne did, maybe they were in that kind of situation as well. Not one in which Harry's step-dad was in PAUSE, but one in which a human and witch cared about each other enough not to care what the other was.   
  
And maybe it was that way with other supernaturals. Maybe sometimes a human just loved a supernatural. And if that were the case, weren't those supernaturals probably  _good_? Maybe it wasn't about good versus evil or humanity versus supernaturals.   
  
It went against everything he had been raised to believe. But maybe it was what was right.   
  
"What are you thinking?" Harry asked him. Despite everything, he gave Louis an amused little smile. It was kind of adorable. For just a second, Louis forgot where they were.   
  
There definitely had to be a catch to this, because being stuck with Harry in a room was probably supposed to be a punishment of some sort, but was beginning to feel like a blessing.   
  
Except for that whole kidnapping, not being where they were supposed to part. Their friends and family must've been so worried. Maybe that was the punishment. But it seemed too easy.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
When Harry and Louis didn't show up to travel that morning, their Syco team got involved. When they didn't show up for rehearsals, Liam, Niall, and Zayn were informed that their show that night might have to be canceled. They did end up canceling the show, and posting on their official Twitter, ' _We regret to inform you that the next few shows are cancelled. You can visit our website for a refund, or exchange your tickets for a later date._ '   
  
Liam hated it. He hated that they had to do that to the fans and he hated that Harry and Louis were missing. And that they probably were missing against their will. Something in his gut told him that. Harry and Louis would  _never_  do this on purpose. They loved the band and the fans too much.   
  
A day later, the authorities got involved and a search for Harry and Louis began. By then, the fans had caught on to the fact that there was  _something_  going on, and began tweeting them all about it. Tweets ranged anywhere between ' _where are @Harry_Styles and @Louis_Tomlinson_ ' to ' _please come home harry and louis!!_ ' to ' _@Real_Liam_Payne where r harry and louis plz tell me their ok_.' The fans began a Twitition, requesting that the authorities step it up and find Larry Stylinson as soon as possible. What they didn't know was that the authorities were doing as much as they could.   
  
A weird part of this were Harry and Louis' parents. Jay and Mark both got involved, as did Harry's step-dad. However, Anne did not. Liam found that strange because he knew Anne cared so much. Harry was her baby. But Jay and Robin said they would be working with the authorities on Anne's behalf. Whatever that meant. Liam decided not to question it too much because he didn't understand how adults worked in general. He hoped he would never have to become one.   
  
The adults were all given rooms in the hotel the boys were currently staying at. The third morning Harry and Louis were gone, Liam ran into Jay at the hotel's breakfast. He greeted her and she looked tired. He didn't blame her.   
  
"Morning," Liam said as he grabbed some toast. He hadn't been too hungry since Harry and Louis' disappearance, but toast was alright. And he didn't say "good morning" because it wasn't one.   
  
"How are you boys holding up?" Jay asked Liam. Even her voice was tired.   
  
Liam considered it. They  _hadn't_  been holding up, really. Niall checked the internet nervously every five minutes for any clues, and Zayn had gone and spaced out. Liam's cheeks warmed up as he realized he and Niall hadn't even had done anything, even kissed really, since Harry and Louis had disappeared. He wanted to; maybe it would be a comfort. But would it be too disrespectful to Harry and Louis? They could be dead, and he'd be snogging their bandmate. Maybe it was the universe telling him not to be gay. Or whatever he was.   
  
"Why didn't Anne come?" Liam asked curiously. It was probably none of his business, but he still thought it was quite odd. Wherever she was, she was probably going out of her mind with worry about the lads.   
  
"She couldn't get out of a situation that's beyond her control." Jay told him simply, "And it actually has to do with Harry. Believe me, she's doing everything she can from a distance."   
  
Liam nodded, accepting her answer. "Niall, Zayn and I are willing to do everything we can to help out as well. I hope you know that."   
  
Jay smiled. A gentle, unsure smile. "Thank you, Liam. That's very kind."   
  
When he left breakfast, he headed right up to Niall's room. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but he was surprised to find that Niall opened the door just as he began to knock. He took in Niall's features, realizing that he, like everyone else, hadn't gotten much sleep. But still, Niall tugged him into the room eagerly.   
  
"I saw Jay downstairs, and-" he was cut off by Niall reaching up and pulling Liam's face down so that their lips touched. For a moment, Liam just stood there, enjoying the kiss. Because what in the world had gotten into Niall? But then Niall stepped back and looked up at him. He realized that Niall was blushing.   
  
"So I figured we haven't done that in awhile and if we didn't soon I'd go crazy. Sorry if you didn't want-"   
  
"No, I did." Liam assured him. What had he been thinking before? The  _universe_  didn't want him to be gay? That was just stupid. Kissing Niall felt right.   
  
"So what were you saying about Jay?" Niall asked, grabbing Liam's hand and holding it tight. Liam squeezed Niall's hand back and told Niall about seeing Jay downstairs, about her answer to his question about Anne. Then they stared at each other, both thinking the same thing. Niall grabbed his wallet, phone, and room key and together they walked down the hallway to tell Zayn.  
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry was actually terrified, but he tried to be brave for Louis' sake. Louis was trying to be optimistic about it, though Harry knew that Louis knew that this was all sorts of wrong. A day had passed since they'd woken up in the room. They hadn't slept much because they were both afraid they'd get abducted in the middle of the night. But when it didn't happen, it felt safe to sleep a little more. They lost track of time and had no idea what time it actually was. It could be 3AM right now, but they were eating "lunch" anyway.  
  
Louis had opened some soup cans for them and they were eating right out of the can without spoons or anything. Liam would be so proud. Even though it was sort of messy.   
  
Harry finished his soup first, and watched Louis, feeling kind of amused in spite of himself. Louis was currently trying to get a noodle at the bottom of the soup can with his finger. But he kept missing it. "Shit! It got away again!"   
  
"Why am I not surprised?" Harry teased. He held out his hand. "Give it to me."   
  
Louis sighed and gave Harry the soup can. Harry reached in and without any effort at all, was able to get the noodle from the bottom of the can. Feeling rather victorious, he held it up to show Louis. Louis' jaw dropped. "Cheater! You totally magic'd that sucker!"   
  
"Did not!" Harry stuck out his tongue. For a moment, he contemplated eating the noodle, but then held out his finger to Louis, inching closer. "Here you go."   
  
To his surprise, Louis didn't snatch it from him. Instead, Louis came forward and engulfed Harry's finger with his mouth. At first, Harry was speechless. Because after the noodle was gone, Louis just sucked on Harry's finger like it was no big deal. But then he looked up mischievously. Harry stared at him, feeling kind of turned on all of the sudden. But just in case Louis didn't mean for that to happen, he took his finger back, setting his hand down on the blanket.   
  
"Well, that was interesting."   
  
Louis shrugged. "I figured since we're gay for each other, we should do gay things."   
  
Of course. Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm glad you're making the most out of our captivity by sucking my finger. Great way to pass the time."   
  
"I could think of other ways." Louis told him, meeting Harry's eyes.   
  
 _Where_  was this coming from? Harry wondered. Not that he had any complaints. Because he would willingly do anything with Louis. And he supposed hooking up with be a good way of passing the time. Maybe that was what Louis figured. But maybe doing anything in here wasn't a smart idea. Still. They were here  _alone_. And... well... what else were they supposed to do but each other?   
  
Louis could see that Harry wasn't one-hundred percent sure about it, so he changed the subject. "So I think PAUSE has been using witch powers for ages. They don't want to kill you. They want to kill me, probably, but not you."   
  
"They could kill me because I know what they're doing," Harry pointed out. "But I'm not surprised about them taking witch magic. I mean, a lot of your defenses seem like it to me. Invisibility? No way modern science has perfected that."   
  
"Which is why I'm kind of a hypocrite for judging you." Louis admitted. "I'm stupid. I know. It's like... no offense, but you're Harry. And pretty harmless. I'd even bet that after you joined the coven, you would be harmless. You'd just be more intense about things. Like, you'd try to go save all the homeless cats in the world or something."   
  
Harry laughed. "Maybe. Don't know how I'd do that. I haven't really used my magic on any animals or around them. I mean, Dusty is our familiar, but other than that."   
  
Louis was silent a moment, and then he inquired something Harry had been expecting ever since Louis had found out about his magic.   
  
"Moment of truth. Did you ever use your magic on me? A time I don't know about?" Louis asked, staring directly into his eyes.   
  
Harry nodded, because he did owe Louis the truth. "Yeah, um. You remember when that sea urchin stung you?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"I healed you." Harry admitted. "When you showed your foot to me. You looked away and I healed it for you so it didn't hurt so much. I probably shouldn't have done it without your permission, and I know you were on pain meds, but I didn't want to see you in pain later." He sighed. "I probably kind of liked you then and didn't realize. Not that I wouldn't heal the other guys, but... it was different."   
  
To his surprise, Louis didn't seem annoyed at all. "I can't believe I couldn't detect that. I think I was in denial for a long time. There was always something different about you. It's a good thing this isn't last year. I don't know how I would have reacted. But I'm glad you healed me. I'm glad you cared enough."   
  
"I'll always care." Harry confessed, suddenly feeling like he was in movie. Maybe being locked in a room for this long made them talk out their feelings, which was something two guys, even in a relationship, most likely hardly ever did.  
  
Louis grinned. "You're so sappy, Curly. Anyway, have you used your magic on me any other time? Might as well tell me!"   
  
Should he tell him?  _What the hell_ , Harry thought. "There was another time. I didn't exactly use my magic on you. But, okay, you know that dream I had where I saw you in real life, even though I was asleep? I did it another time. A few weeks ago when we were at home. I, yeah, uh. You had just come out of the shower."   
  
"You  _didn't_."   
  
Harry shrugged. "Maybe I'm a perv. I was mostly trying to get information about you and what secret you were keeping. But then you were naked. It's your fault, really."   
  
Louis shook his head and smiled, leaning forward to kiss Harry lightly on the mouth. "Dirty Harry," he murmured. "Living up to your nickname, I see." And then he pulled back quickly. "Wait, you were spying on me?"   
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't act like you didn't spy on me either. Pretty sure we had a mutual spying-on-each-other thing going on. Maybe not magical on your side, but yeah. I bet you were trying to figure out what I was right up until I told you. After that dream thing, who could help it?"  
  
"True." Louis said, giving up on his impending annoyance. "I actually made Hannah look in our databases for  _dream astral projection_  and for some reason it had nothing about that. Maybe we used the wrong words. Whatever. But you're right, in my own way, I spied on you."  
  
"At least I got to see you naked." Harry told him. And maybe that was a hint that he wanted to see Louis naked for real in the near future. Louis glanced up again and Harry could tell from his eyes that yeah, maybe that was going to happen quite soon. That could either be really good or bad, depending on a lot of things. Staying with Louis alone in this room for the past day hadn't done much to keep his horny teenager thoughts at bay. He couldn't believe he had gone from being furious with Louis to wanting to fuck him. He wasn't actually sure he could wait until they left. Whenever that would be.  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
It was weird that they couldn't actually do anything. Niall felt kind of helpless. They had just received a phone call from their management, telling them that they would be going back to London as soon as possible. While they weren't in the same place Harry and Louis had disappeared from, they weren't very far. Management was worried about the rest of them getting kidnapped. If they were in London or back home - management's first choice - they would be safer. They opted for London so that they could at least all stay together. Still, they didn't have to leave for two days.   
  
Niall didn't know what to do. Everything was a mess. Zayn was in a horrible mood and Liam just seemed confused about life. But at least Liam had begun kissing him again. Even if it wasn't a lot at a time, it put much needed smiles on both of their faces.   
  
They were all in a hotel room together, just watching TV. It seemed like that was what they did nowadays. They had all gone quiet on Twitter. Well, Zayn was usually quiet, but they had been told not to tweet about Harry and Louis' disappearance at all.   
  
When Niall's phone rang, he figured it was just Sean or someone trying to figure out what was going on. He felt bad because he hadn't even told his best friends back home. About  _anything_. He hadn't talked about Harry and Louis and he hadn't said anything about Liam. But everything was too messed up to talk about right now.   
  
He didn't recognize the number and grew hopeful. It could be  _anyone_. Eagerly, he hit the Send button on his phone.   
  
"Hello?" Niall asked into the phone. He glanced at Liam and Zayn and could tell that they both hoped that it was Harry or Louis on the other end.   
  
Instead, it was a female voice Niall didn't even recognize. "Niall, right?"   
  
"Uh... yeah." Niall said awkwardly. He shook his head at Liam and Zayn, and they both went back to watching TV, no matter how on edge they actually were.   
  
"Good. I have information about Harry and Louis. We need to meet."   
  
"You  _what_?" Niall choked out. "What do you know? Where are they? Why haven't they contacted us? Are they alright?"   
  
At that, Liam and Zayn looked up again, completely shocked, eyes wide. "Who is it?" Liam asked.   
  
"Calm down. Jeez." the girl said, sounding annoyed. "Like I said, we need to meet. I'll come by your hotel. I know where you're staying."   
  
"Who are you?" Niall asked, confused.   
  
"My name is Isabel."   
  
  
They told the person manning the desk in the front lobby to send Isabel right up to their room. When there was a knock on the door, Niall grabbed Liam's hand nervously and Zayn sighed and went to open the door. When he did, they were surprised. She was just a teenage girl. An attractive one, yeah, and she wore this all-knowing smirk. But... what could she know? And if she knew something, why hadn't she gone to the police about it? They were looking all over the country for Harry and Louis, surely any information she had could help.   
  
She stepped in and surveyed the room. When she saw Liam and Niall holding hands, she raised her eyebrows. "Really, guys? And I thought it was just the other two."   
  
Niall dropped Liam's hand, shooting him an apologetic look that promised he'd make it up to Liam later. But Liam seemed far too confused by Isabel's presence to do that. Niall had to admit that there was something weird about her. She gave him a strange feeling, and he wasn't sure if he liked it.  
  
"Please, tell us what you know." Zayn requested. He gave her a flirtatious smile, probably to get her to talk, but Isabel seemed unfazed by it. She sat down on the bed, making herself comfortable.   
  
"Harry and Louis were kidnapped." Isabel said dryly. "They-"   
  
"Wait, how do we even know that you're telling the truth?" Liam interrupted. "You could just be a fan, making up a story to get into our room."   
  
"Trust me, I'm  _not_  a fan." Isabel told him. " _Please_. And you're just going to have to trust what I say. Because you have no other choice. Also, I can kill you with my teeth if I want. That should be enough of a reason."   
  
Zayn stepped back now. Niall didn't blame him. Isabel was absolutely insane. "I think you should leave."   
  
"Then you'll never find out what happened to them." Isabel replied, smirking. "Anyway, they were kidnapped."   
  
"By who?" Niall asked. Because Zayn just looked pissed off now and Liam was speechless. "Who kidnapped them?"   
  
"The Enforcement and Protection Against Supernaturals Unit. They call themselves PAUSE, Lord knows why."   
  
"Leave." Zayn said sternly. "This isn't funny."   
  
"And I'm not making a joke." Isabel shot back, glaring at him. "I know you three are skeptical and also kind of dumb, since you're human and all, but don't tell me to leave when I'm about to show you proof. I  _can_  kill you, but I have a feeling you'll agree with me when I tell you everything." And then, she  _did_  show her proof. She bared her teeth, revealing two long incisors. Holy fuck, she had  _fangs_. Niall also noticed that her eyes grew darker. He took a step closer to Liam, and Liam had the same idea. He grabbed Niall's arm. Zayn just stared at her, as if he couldn't believe what he had just seen. She was a  _vampire_. Those were vampire teeth. Then slowly, Isabel's face went back to normal. "As you can see, I'm a vampire. Proof that supernaturals exist. And don't even try to stake me. I am faster than you three, and I could probably rip out each of your throats in a minute. Luckily, I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to help you."   
  
  
  
Isabel had just left, after sitting with them for an hour and explaining things in a condescending way. How were  _they_  supposed to know what was going on? How were they supposed to know that anything...  _supernatural_  existed at all? Liam couldn't make sense of it all. Harry and Louis... they'd never told them. Yeah, everyone had the right to some secrets, but  _this_?   
  
Zayn was quiet, but Niall tried to start up a conversation about it. "So now that Isabel's gone, what are we gonna do?"   
  
Liam just looked at him, because he had absolutely  _no_  idea. "They haven't even told us. I don't even know if I can believe it."   
  
"You saw Isabel's fangs. Supernatural people are real. It's just...  _Harry_?" Niall said with disbelief. "Harry's a witch? Like... he's a  _witch_."   
  
"And Louis puts a metal chip..." Liam wandered off, and suddenly he remembered something important. "Oh god. Niall. We saw Louis tag someone. When he pinched that girl. He was tagging her."   
  
Niall's eyes widened and he turned to Zayn so that he could explain it all. Zayn listened with a straight face. Then he shook his head. "I can't believe all this. I mean, I  _believe_  it. I know what I saw. But what the fuck?"   
  
"I know." Niall said. "Should we tell Louis' mum that we know?"   
  
Liam nodded. "I think we have to."   
  
"Isabel said it was dangerous that we knew. That we shouldn't  _waste_  her precious information. I think... if Jay or Anne thought it was okay to tell us, they would. Because they know how much we're freaking out." Zayn pointed out. "She wants us to join her side..."   
  
"Or she'll kill us all." Niall finished dryly. After seeing those teeth, he knew she could. What freaked him out was that  _that_  girl had been hanging around Harry and Louis for awhile now and no one noticed And...  _Xavier_.   
  
 _"I think Adrian has been tracking Harry's coven - probably a lot of covens - for awhile. It was just lucky that Louis got put into a band with Harry. He had to do it slowly, because for a human that I want to kill with my bare hands, he's smart. From what my brother Xavier told me, all of this was planned. I wouldn't be surprised if the both of them being in the band was Adrian's idea rather than Simon Cowell's."_  
  
Xavier. His whole friendship with Xavier had been fake. And he'd made the mistake of inviting Xavier backstage a few days ago. Not that he could have known, and as Liam assured him, Xavier was going to show up at the gig whether he was invited backstage or not. Still, that  _sucked_. Even if he liked Liam all along, being deceived so much... well, that taught him not to meet people online.   
  
Worse yet, Isabel didn't know where Harry and Louis were. She had said that the van they were following  _disappeared_. As if they knew they were being followed. But Isabel was pretty sure they had taken Harry and Louis to a PAUSE building. There were a lot of them, all over the country, They had probably taken them to the nearest one, but it was hard to know. She had said that she could trace Harry until the van had disappeared. Because she had drank his blood (another shocking revelation for all of them). It worked in places that weren't protected against psychic connections. Unfortunately PAUSE and anything connected to it was.   
  
What Isabel had failed to tell them was how this information would help them. Give them peace of mind? Maybe. But they were now more confused than ever. Niall couldn't believe there was so much out there he didn't know about. He'd thought he, as a member of a famous boyband, as a celebrity, had  _lived_. But there was so much he didn't know.   
  
It was hard to tell what Zayn was thinking, but Niall knew that Liam was full of the same kind of wonder. What were they supposed to do with this information?   
  
 _Should_  they tell someone they knew?  
  
Unfortunately, none of them could come up with the right answer. Maybe there wasn't one.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry wasn't big on reading. It wasn't like it  _sucked_ , but he didn't usually do it. He didn't have much time. But right now, he was stuck with Louis in a room and they had both selected books to read, since they couldn't do much else. However, they always ended up getting distracted and talking anyway. Louis told Harry all of his suspicions about PAUSE.   
  
Harry knew that this was hard for Louis. He'd trusted that organization for so long. Before he came along, Louis actually had been loyal to them, and probably hadn't questioned anything. Harry was actually quite proud that he seemed to be the catalyst for that change, but on the other side of things... here they were.   
  
They still hadn't figured out what was going on or why they were there. They weren't being spied on, Harry was pretty sure. He had used his magic to see if anything invisible - cameras, people, whatever - was lurking in there, but there had been nothing. It truly  _was_  a blank room. A room with no windows, except for an air hole in the bathroom. Harry had tried to do something with that, but it was immovable. Wow, they really were serious when they said they couldn't use magic to leave.   
  
Right now they were sitting in silence, and Louis was acting weird. Harry kept glancing up at him, but Louis was squirming around now.   
  
"Do you have to pee?" Harry asked him.   
  
Louis glanced up from his book. Harry realized that he hadn't seen Louis turn the page for awhile now. "Nah, Curly. I don't."   
  
And then Louis pulled the blanket over his lap.   
  
Well,  _that_  was random.   
  
It was funny, because Louis looked like he was trying not to care. But Harry knew what it meant when one covered up his lower half with a blanket and he smiled adoringly at Louis' modesty. He actually hadn't thought that Louis would be embarrassed about being turned on. Harry stood and walked over to Louis, kneeling in front of him so that they were both on eye level. Louis gave him one of the sexiest, unsuspecting looks ever, and Harry couldn't take it. He leaned forward and kissed Louis hard.  
  
Louis made a surprised squeak, but then reached around Harry, pulling him closer. Harry sat between Louis' legs as they kissed and he could feel Louis' erection through the blanket. It was more than enough for Harry to start getting hard. He tore away the blanket and still that wasn't enough. He wanted to see Louis. All of him.   
  
Harry fingered the edge of Louis' trousers, but Louis stopped him. "I feel weird. We should be, I dunno, covered or something."   
  
Harry had to admit he agreed. Just because he couldn't find any cameras - invisible or otherwise, didn't mean it wasn't a little weird. Luckily there was a solution to that. Harry glanced at the blanket. It was big enough. He pointed at it, and it flew up into the air. It hovered over them as if they were in a tent without support. Then Harry made sure they had enough air and a tiny bit of light. Once he did that, he gently pushed Louis down against the pillow and kissed him again. This time, Louis helped Harry take off his trousers, and then removed Harry's as well. Harry leaned over him, their crotches right up against each other. And yet it  _still_  wasn't enough.   
  
Harry sat up and proceeded to take off the rest of his clothes. Then he looked at Louis. Louis bit his lip and then gave Harry a slight nod. Harry grinned and helped Louis off with his underwear and shirt eagerly. Then he took the sight of naked Louis in.   
  
It was different than he had seen Louis before. He had seen Louis without clothes. After all, they lived together and roomed together. But in this context, it was so much different. Harry let a little moan escape when he realized how hard he was and just how much he really  _did_  want Louis. He wanted to do things with him that he never thought he'd want to do with anyone. Things he'd thought might have been weird. If it weren't for the fact that he was with Louis.   
  
He rushed forward and kissed Louis again as passionately as possible, pushing him down onto the pillow again. He opened his mouth to let Louis' tongue in, and Louis did the same. He ran his tongue over Louis teeth and then his gum before pulling his mouth away from the other boy's completely. He pulled back and for a moment just stared at Louis, trying to figure out what was going through  _his_  mind.   
  
Then Louis said, "I love you."   
  
Harry ogled him for a few seconds. Louis  _loved_  him?  _Loved_  him? Louis loved  _him_. Where had that come from? He seriously did? Harry wanted to ask a million questions, but what ended up coming out of his mouth was, "I love you too."   
  
And suddenly they were kissing again. Harry began rubbing himself against Louis' leg, kissing down his neck, hitting a sensitive spot. Louis moaned loudly and Harry was rather impressed. For a guy who had been with a girl for so long (not that Harry wanted to think about this right now), and in a different situation, Louis adapted quite well to having these things done  _to_  him.  
  
Harry licked Louis' nipple and then ran his tongue down Louis' chest and belly. He moved backwards so that he could move his face lower and lower, soon finding himself close to Louis' dick. He glanced up, and realized that Louis was looking down at him, very much giving his silent permission. Harry looked down again and put his tongue right on the head of Louis' cock. Louis gasped quietly and then more loudly as Harry took Louis into his mouth.   
  
This was Harry's first time going down on a guy, so he couldn't help analyzing the situation. It wasn't that bad. He tasted just fine. Good, even. Doing this, hearing Louis' moans, it actually turned him on more than he had ever expected. He continued, moving his tongue around experimentally. When he grazed Louis' dick with his teeth carefully, Louis gasped Harry's name. But he wasn't finished yet. Harry had a feeling Louis was close already, so he pulled back.   
  
"What are you doing?" Louis asked quietly.   
  
Harry moved upward and kissed Louis again quickly before whispering in his ear, "What if I wanted to... you know."   
  
Louis stared back at him with wide eyes. "You want to fuck me."   
  
Harry nodded. He  _did_. He wanted to know what it was like and he wanted to be as close to Louis as possible. "If you want, I can ease it along. I can make it... not really hurt." At least, he was about ninety percent sure that he could. "I think I can take away the pain part. And then after the first few times I probably won't need to anyway."   
  
"You... can?" Louis asked. "Isn't that like cheating?" Still, he looked intrigued. Intrigued enough to do it anyway, which was what Harry was hoping for.   
  
Harry shook his head. "I'm pretty sure if other guys had the same ability, they would use it. I mean, of course, you don't  _have_  to..."   
  
He considered it, and then whispered, "Alright."   
  
"Alright?" Harry asked, surprised. Was Louis actually agreeing?  
  
"Yeah. I want you. Please do it." Louis said. He turned to the side a little, exposing his arse to Harry. "I actually didn't realize how much I wanted to do this but now I think... I don't know, you being inside me could be the hottest thing ever."   
  
Harry's heart practically burst out of his chest. He kissed the back of Louis' neck. "I have a condom in my wallet." he told him, reaching into the pocket of his trousers. He silently congratulated himself for being so smart, and took the condom out.   
  
Then he kissed down Louis' back, sending a visible shiver through Louis. He then kissed even further down until he reached Louis' arse. He actually wasn't sure what to do. He looked at Louis' arse, poking one of the cheeks with his finger. Louis turned around a bit. "What are you even doing?"   
  
"Just... figuiring things out." Harry muttered. "I haven't really done that much research on this. Actually, I haven't done any. I think I'm supposed to finger you first."   
  
"Yeah." Louis agreed. "Get to it, Styles!"   
  
Harry smiled, and held Louis open a bit. Then, he found Louis' hole with his finger. As soon as he did, he made sure he lubed Louis up a lot. This would definitely ease up the process. Louis squirmed a bit, but he assured Harry he was alright. Which was good, because Harry's finger wasn't even really in Louis yet. He carefully pushed his finger into Louis, concentrating on healing the pain for Louis. Louis was  _really_  tight, though Harry had expected that. Still, he pushed his finger in and out, a little deeper each time. He kissed Louis back as he fingered him, until Louis gasped. " _God_."   
  
"Hmm?" Harry asked, nipping the skin of Louis' arse a little bit with his teeth, just because he could.   
  
"I actually  _like_  it," Louis told him.   
  
"And that's just my finger."   
  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Louis asked.  
  
Truthfully, he'd been waiting for Louis to tell him he was ready. And he was pretty sure that this meant that Louis  _was_. He removed his finger and put the condom on himself. Then he maneuvered and positioned himself. He was  _nervous_ , but he couldn't let that stop him, right? He could do this. For them both. He slowly entered Louis, kissing his shoulder as he did. He kept his hand down there to make sure it didn't get painful for Louis as he pushed his dick further in.   
  
"Harry," Louis whispered.   
  
Harry kissed up Louis' neck, up to the back of his head. Louis responded well to that because he arched just a bit and moaned. Harry pulled himself back a bit and then pushed in again, quite enjoying just how tight Louis was. He began to move, since Louis didn't seem to mind. He thrust in and out gently, once in awhile getting that particular spot that made Louis cry out. Harry was suddenly very glad he'd used his magic to make this easier, because hearing Louis make sounds that he had never heard before made it all worth it.   
  
Now much more confident, he reached around and took hold of Louis' cock. He began to stroke it, though that made both his hand movements and his thrusting quite a bit sloppy. Still, he felt good and Louis seemed to like it, pushing back into him, turning around slightly to kiss Harry on the side of his face.   
  
Louis gave very little vocal warning when he was about to come. Instead, his breathing got shallow and Harry could feel him tensing up. Louis did, however, cry out when he came into Harry's hand, not caring at all about being quiet. Harry pulled out of Louis then and they faced each other. Harry took off the unfilled condom and kneeled over him. He began jerking himself off over Louis. Though he had just come, the aroused faces Louis made sent Harry right over the edge. Just as he came, Louis reached up and pulled Harry's face forward, kissing him. Harry sighed against Louis' lips and then collapsed against him.   
  
"That's the best use of your powers yet." Louis said, kissing the top of Harry's head.   
  
Harry snorted at him and then he glanced up, letting the blanket shielding them fall to cover them. Louis held him close, and Harry realized he could fall asleep like this. And that he  _wanted_ to. He smiled and let his eyes close.   
  
  
  
Six hours later, they fucked in the shower. They had already used their only condom, but they trusted each other and they both knew they were clean. It was a bit awkward because it was a tight fit in more ways than one and trying to figure out exactly  _how_  to do it in there, with a different position. They hadn't really given it much thought before they began. Still, they got the job done.  
  
  
  
Five hours after that, they did it again. Much more easily that time.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"So we agree. We tell Jay what we know. Tomorrow, since she's probably asleep now." Niall said.   
  
"As asleep as she can get." Liam commented, kicking back against the headboard of the bed. "We  _have_  to tell her what we know, whether that...  _vampire_  girl - can you believe we actually met a vampire? What the heck? - likes it or not."  
  
Zayn had agreed reluctantly. It worried Liam because for being, well, himself, Zayn could be insightful. If he had the feeling it was a bad idea, maybe it was. Still, they all had no idea what they could do with what Isabel told them. The only person that could supposedly help was Jay. She might not have been... god, a  _witch_ , but she knew more than the rest of them. Why was she even relying on the authorities if they couldn't find PAUSE?   
  
Nothing made sense anymore, Liam thought.   
  
When Zayn went to his own room, probably to sulk. Liam honestly didn't blame him. He offered up his and Niall's company for the night, but Zayn took one look at the two of them and said, "Yeah. Right."   
  
They were alone, and Liam looked at Niall awkwardly. He kind of wanted to kiss Niall, see where it could go. But there was bit of guilt. They probably shouldn't do anything, right? Well, they could snog a bit. Liam shook his head. He didn't even know if he could do anything that came after snogging. He hadn't given it too much thought past that.   
  
"You know, man, you don't have to do anything you don't want." Niall told him, his cheeks turning red. Oh  _god_  he was as embarrassed about this as Liam was. "I mean, I guess... it's a brand new thing for you. You don't have to be nervous around me. I'm still me. You know?"   
  
Liam smiled. "I know. I know that. I just. I feel guilty. What if Harry and Louis are..."   
  
Niall got it. He nodded knowingly. Then he opened his arms and Liam gratefully found himself being  _held_  by Niall. It was a little weird, because he was the one doing the holding. He'd even figured he would be if he and Niall got together. He had had some weird thought that since he was taller, he would be the one doing the comforting. But right now, it was Niall who offered the comfort. And this was nice. He say there in Niall's arms for a moment before turning into him. As he looked at Niall, he realized, he at least did want to at least... well, experiment? Not experiment. That wasn't the right word.   
  
Suddenly he found out blurting out, "Can I touch you?"   
  
Niall smirked. " _What_? Where?"   
  
"I don't know... like..." Liam tentatively slid his hand under Niall's shirt. He felt his skin. He was feeling a guy's skin and the world wasn't ending. Maybe he  _could_  do this. Even if they didn't do _it_ , at least not yet, he could do this gay thing. Or... gay for Niall thing. He ran his hand over Niall's belly and up toward his chest. Oh  _god_. There were no boobs. There were no boobs, but he looked into Niall's eyes and it was alright.   
  
And suddenly, kissing Niall felt like a very good idea.   
  
He inched forward and their mouths met. Liam kissed him harder than he ever had before, keeping his hand where it was. If anything ended up happening, it would be okay. It really would.   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Louis woke up when he heard Harry moaning. His eyes popped open and he looked right to his side, where Harry was. His moaning was continuous and it wasn't the good kind of moaning. Then he realized that Harry was holding his stomach with one arm, with his opposite hand over his side.   
  
"Harry?"   
  
Harry's eyes popped open. He was wide awake, and he was in  _pain_. Louis took Harry into his arms immediately, but Harry shrunk away slightly. Louis noticed that Harry's hand was glowing now, but it just made Harry moan louder.   
  
"Ow. It  _hurts_ , Louis."   
  
"What does?"   
  
"It's this weird feeling in my side. I'm trying to heal it, but it's not working."   
  
Louis studied Harry's hand on his side. He noticed that the more Harry tried to heal his side, the louder the indications of his pain got. Now he was actually  _shaking_. The more power he used... the more pain... and...   
  
And suddenly it clicked. He understood what they were in this room for.   
  
"Harry, stop trying to heal it." Louis ordered him. When Harry looked at him as if he were crazy, he brushed Harry's curls away gently and kissed his sweaty forehead. The pain had actually made him perspire,  _wow_. "Trust me."   
  
Harry nodded and took his hand away. His eyes were screwed shut for a moment, but then he slowly opened them, amazed. That was how Louis figured out that he was right. "The pain went away. What just happened?"   
  
"This room," Louis said, "I just figured it out. It's a draining room. Every time you use your powers it drains your powers a bit. And it's gotten to the point that it's hurting you. Were you using your powers before I woke up?"   
  
"Just to make the blanket bigger and thicker. It's cold." Harry said defensively. "This  _room_  is draining my powers?"   
  
"Yeah," Louis told him. "I think so. Just to be safe, don't use your magic anymore, okay? Your magic is a part of you. It's  _going_  to hurt you if it gets drained anymore."   
  
"The magic I lost," Harry said warily, "Do you think I'll get it back if we ever get out of here?"   
  
"I hope so," Louis told him. And he realized it was true. He  _wanted_  Harry to have magic. Mostly, he wanted Harry to be himself, and the magic  _was_  part of him. It made complete sense that he'd be in pain if he lost a part of himself.   
  
After what they had done together, Louis knew he  _had_  to be more supportive than he had in the past. He knew he had been on his way there already, but he and Harry had had sex and he didn't really tell Harry about the connection he felt during it. He wasn't sure if it was magic, but it was just... nothing mattered but Harry now. He could look at Harry and he was home. He had kind of had that feeling before, but now it was intensified so much that he was pretty sure he'd start feeling pain if he saw Harry in pain for much longer. Somehow, when they'd had sex, he'd realized that they  _were_  meant to be doing this. It was just...  _everything_. Louis had never felt something so intense in his life. And they had done it three times. Each time, it was overwhelming and  _amazing_. He couldn't believe he'd ever had any hang-ups about the whole gay thing either. It just didn't matter. Because he was with  _Harry_. And Louis would do anything to save him.   
  
And he didn't know how, but he was going to find some way to save Harry from this.


	13. Chapter 13

  
** GAY DIRECTION? **

_The disappearance of Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson has become the subject of discussion and speculation throughout the country and across the globe. The boys, who disappeared five days ago, have not been seen or heard of since making an escape backstage after a gig one night. Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik are under strict orders not to talk about it. However, since the story went international, we have received some very interesting information about Liam, Niall, and Zayn. If you'll recall, they won the hearts of many of the nation's teenage girls when they competed and came in third on last year's series of the X Factor. And do you recall which song of theirs has the word "girl" in its lyrics? All of them? But then why are they hanging out in gay clubs?_

_"I'm a regular at Rush in New York City," says an unnamed source, "It's a very small gay club that admits anyone who is over eighteen. One night Liam, Niall, and Zayn came into Rush." According to the source, nobody really recognized them then. Niall apparently took on the pseudonym "Neil" while Liam and Zayn sat at a table eyeing the scene. Niall seemed to be the most flirtatious one, dancing with one man and then chatting up another. Is there something One Direction haven't told us? In this band, who is gay? Was Niall picking up guys? Are Liam and Zayn an item?_

_And if this is the case, maybe we should be asking ourselves if Harry and Louis assumed different identities and eloped._

_Sorry girls! It looks like you're just going to have to lust over The Wanted!_   


  
  
  
' _@NiallOfficial wat does it mean r u gay_ '   
  
  
' _@Real_Liam_Payne since ur the king of twitter u should tell us if Niall is gay_ '   
  
  
' _If @Harry_Styles and @Louis_Tomlinson ran off to get married I'm willing to forgive them for this little stunt._ '   
  
  
' _@zaynmalik Not saying anything as usual, I see._ '   
  
  
' _@Harry_Styles COME BACK._ '   
  
  
' _@NiallOfficial You're not really gay are you?_ '   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"SHIT." Niall exclaimed loudly as he clicked on the link that had been sent to him. All morning he and the other boys had been getting tweets about them being gay, and Niall hadn't really understood where it all had come from. But as soon as he checked his email, he found that management, Sean, Scott, and every other person on the planet had sent him a link to this article in the Mail. Since it was the Mail, maybe people wouldn't believe it, but it kind of scared him because this time they were right. "Shit. SHIT. Liam!"   
  
As soon as he called for Liam, he actually wondered if that was a good idea. Liam was so awkward with the gay thing and the last thing Niall wanted to do was upset him. But right now their careers were on the line, and they would have to do damage control. He was pretty sure Syco would be calling them about this, so Liam was going to find out anyway.   
  
"Yeah?" Liam called from the shower. The water turned off, and Liam's voice echoed loudly throughout the whole room.   
  
"Get out here, now." Niall replied.   
  
Liam walked out with a towel around his waist. His shoulders were still pretty wet and he was trying to dry his hair with another towel. He looked so good that Niall just stared at him for a moment because he couldn't help it. Then he looked back at the computer screen and was reminded of the disaster that lay ahead.   
  
As if they needed this crap right now. Not after what they'd just learned about their friends. Why was all of this happening at once?   
  
"Read this." Niall said, pointing to the computer screen.   
  
Just as Liam sat down on the bed to read the article, there was a knock on the door to their room. A loud, desperate knock. And then, "Guys? Did you see the article?"   
  
Niall rushed to the door immediately so that he could open it for Zayn. Zayn, like Niall, was still in the clothes he had slept in. He hadn't gone through any of his 'beauty routine' as they all called it, and he kind of looked like crap. Well, crap for Zayn, at least. Mostly it was clear that he hadn't taken care of himself or taken a shower, and he kind of smelled. Still, Niall was willing to overlook all that because they were in the middle of a crisis.   
  
Liam, who had finished with the article, looked up from the computer. He looked horrified. "Crap. What do we do?"   
  
"Make a press statement that they're full of shit?" Zayn suggested. "It's what Simon will want us to do anyway." Simon was basically their nickname for their Syco team. Sometimes Simon did get involved, but he was still busy with the American X Factor. "And, I mean, I know it's true, but we're young. They still care about our image. Fuck,  _we_  still care about our image."  
  
"Harry and Louis eloping? They shouldn't make fun of people getting kidnapped." Liam said sadly.   
  
"They don't know they were kidnapped." Niall reminded him. "For people who don't know what's going on, it could be anything."   
  
"Should I tweet that that story isn't true?" Zayn asked, taking out his phone. "Tweet now, make a statement later?"   
  
Liam and Niall looked at each other. Then Liam said, "Management will understand. We're going through a lot."   
  
Zayn tweeted, ' _wtf at that story..._ ' It was neither a denial nor a confirmation, though fans seemed to take it as a denial immediately. They were spammed with tweets of relief, though surprisingly enough, some fans expressed disappointment. Niall sighed. They couldn't please everybody, though if they told the truth, those fans would be happy.   
  
Liam followed up Zayn's tweet with, ' _love wen ppl make fun of situationss they dont understand_ ' and then tweeted again, ' _and by love i mean dont love :(_ '   
  
Niall walked over to Liam and put an arm around his shoulders. To his relief, Liam didn't flinch or shy away. Instead, he reached up and took Niall's hand. Just as he did, their room phone rang. Zayn looked at the two of them and rolled his eyes, picking up the phone. "Hello? Hi, Jay."   
  
Both Liam and Niall turned around sharply. Niall had nearly forgotten their plan to talk to her in a bit. They had sent her a text inviting her to brunch. Maybe she was calling up to cancel. But instead Zayn gave them a thumbs up before hanging up the phone.   
  
Then, before leaving, he said, "You two, get dressed and be in my room in ten. We're going to go meet her."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"How are you feeling?"   
  
"For the last time, Louis, I'm  _fine_." Harry assured him as he turned off the water. He had just taken a shower, and Louis had insisted that he watch  _for Harry's own protection_. Under any other circumstances, Harry wouldn't believe him at all. And right now, he still only half did. But the incident last night had given Louis a reason to watch Harry whenever he could, and it was hard to avoid doing that while they were stuck in this room.   
  
Harry, never modest, stepped out of the shower before he pulled the faded towel around his waist. He looked up into Louis' concerned eyes. "I promise, I won't use my magic. If I don't do that, I won't hurt myself."   
  
"Alright." Louis said, slightly relieved. He seemed to feel a bit better each time Harry said it, though he always went back to looking worried. And he supposed Louis had a right to. Harry had never really noticed, but magic was such a part of his daily life that he had never considered what his life would be like without it. He could do things with magic that people did normally. Right about now, he would probably be drying himself magically, and then he would choose an outfit in his head and instantly be wearing it. Now he had to dry naturally, so he walked past Louis out into the main room and sat on the blanket, only slightly covering himself now.   
  
Louis raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, you must be feeling better."   
  
"I am. And just because I can't use my magic anymore doesn't mean we can't... I dunno, have a good time." He looked into Louis' eyes now, and he smiled when Louis blushed just a bit. "Not that it's just about having a good time. It would be ideal if we were in one of our rooms in London or in a hotel room, but you're here, and I'm here, and..." Harry shrugged, adjusting himself. He wasn't sure what had gotten into him. Not that anything really  _had_ , because after having sex with Louis, he realized this was what he wanted from now on. But they still had to deal with some of their differences.   
  
"I know." Louis said, grinning. "I do believe you professed your burning love to me, Styles."   
  
"I believe you said it first, Tomlinson." Harry replied. Louis kneeled in front of him and they faced each other. Louis leaned forward and kissed him.   
  
When Louis pulled away slightly, he was smirking. "But  _you_  were the one who elaborated. Should I remind you of the things you said in the shower, or-"   
  
Harry shook his head and reached out, pulling Louis to him again. The kiss lingered for a few moments, but Harry was starting to get horny all over again. Well, technically they hadn't done anything in half a day, so it wasn't unheard of. But Louis had such an amazing effect on him. And Louis made him feel better about being shut away from the world. They had no idea what was going on with anybody, or if there were any search parties, but they seemed to have accepted that they were trapped for the time being. Harry hoped that the coven was working on something, but he also knew his mum was in hiding and it might be difficult. He hoped the lads were doing alright.   
  
But Harry didn't want to think about any of that right now because he could later. Right now, Louis was here with him, and Louis' tongue was in his mouth. He kissed Louis harder, tugging on the edge of Louis' shirt. When Harry had pulled the shirt off of him, he tossed it across the blanket and then went to work on Louis' trousers. Finally, when he had Louis out of his clothes fully, he pulled Louis close to him again and deepened the kiss. Now Louis sat between Harry's legs as they kissed and when Harry felt Louis' mouth move to his neck, he whimpered. He didn't even have time to feel embarrassed about it, because then he felt Louis bite him lightly and suck the spot he'd bitten. And it was perfect.   
  
"I really do love you, you know," Louis said against Harry's neck. The vibration of the words made Harry shiver. He was hard now, thanks to Louis giving him that little love bite. "I'm sorry I was an idiot. It won't happen again."   
  
"I know." Harry told him. Because he did know. He believed that Louis' views were changing. If they hadn't been, Louis wouldn't have been able to hide how he really felt about the magic stuff.   
  
"I mean, I might be an idiot sometimes." Louis admitted. "And I might be an idiot again. We're both guys and people so it's gonna happen. But not about that. I care about you more than our differences, okay?"   
  
Now they looked at each other while Louis smiled shyly. Harry couldn't believe that Louis was actually opening up to him like this. He knew it must be a relief for Louis not to hold it all in anymore. "Alright."   
  
"I think that as a tagger, I numbed myself a lot. To everything with you that I didn't realize was happening, to how people felt when I tagged them, everything. It's necessary when you're a tagger but I don't want to be one ever again."   
  
Harry smiled at Louis and then kissed him again. This felt different than when they'd had sex, or even their awkward handjobs. Because now it was Louis who lay Harry back , kneeling over him. Then Louis bent down and was suddenly licking Harry's chest, moving up to suck his nipple (not his extra one, his regular, left one) before moving down to his belly.   
  
Louis' hands wandered as well. Now that Louis' mouth was lower, so was the rest of him. He reached under Harry to hold his arse in his hands. But then he looked up from Harry's stomach and smiled proudly. "I'm actually doing that."   
  
"You are," Harry replied, grinning. "Though you've had gay sex so it's not so shocking."   
  
"Yeah, but you were the one in charge then!" Louis reminded him. "Even in the shower. Not that it wasn't hot. Anyway," he glanced down at Harry's erection. "I don't expect to be too good at this."   
  
Instantly, Harry understood. Louis was going to suck him off. Or at least try. The mere thought of that turned him on. "Do it," Harry said, and it actually half-sounded like he was begging. Louis looked very pleased with himself and dipped down again. This time, he kissed the inside of Harry's thigh, still cupping his arse. He kissed everywhere  _around_  Harry's dick,  _except_  for Harry's dick. Harry breathed deeply, "You tease."   
  
Louis smiled up at him. "And here I never thought I was one. The things you make me do, Curly."   
  
Then Louis removed his left hand from Harry's arse and took hold of Harry's dick with it, holding it in front of him. Harry stared at Louis hard as Louis took Harry into his mouth, just a bit. He sucked at the top, looking thoughtful. Harry didn't even care about how weird Louis was. He was in Louis' warm, wet mouth and it was an almost instant relief. No way he was near done - they'd just gotten started - but to have Louis' mouth on him there... oh god.   
  
At the sounds Harry made, Louis seemed to grow more confident. He sucked more, taking Harry in more. Not too deep, because he was probably afraid of gagging, but Harry was more than grateful for anything right now. Anything because he was with Louis. Then Louis brought is tongue into it, licking Harry up and down.   
  
" _Louis_."   
  
Then Louis stopped, taking Harry out of his mouth completely. "What? Did I do something wrong?"   
  
He was so adorable that Harry couldn't help but smile. "No. That was a good  _Louis_."   
  
"Oh!" Louis said, surprised. Then he continued to lick Harry, moving his hand up and down as he flicked his tongue over the head before taking Harry back in.   
  
Harry started thrusting upward toward Louis; it felt like a natural response. He felt so good.   
  
He ran his hands through Louis' hair. God, everything was amazing right now.   
  
"I know my hair isn't as awesome as your curls," Louis said with his mouth around Harry's dick. His words sent vibrations throughout Harry, sending him closer to the edge.   
  
He moaned. "Keep doing that!"   
  
Louis looked up. "Keep doing what?"   
  
"Talking. With your mouth there."   
  
Louis nodded, his lips circling around Harry's dick again. "You taste like strawberries." he said, his voice muffled.   
  
Harry snorted at that. "I probably taste like your arse."   
  
"Well," Louis said, "Nah you showered. But I  _love_  you so I'm going to tell you you taste like strawberries. I haven't told you yet, have I? How fucking sexy the sounds you make are? That I want to hear them every single day, all the time." Harry gasped at the intensity of the vibration, "When you fuck me, all I can think is,  _I can't wait to do this again_."   
  
"Louis," Harry said, grabbing Louis wherever he could. Louis continued the motions with his mouth.   
  
Louis was right. He wasn't perfect at this, but for Louis, he was still pretty amazing. When Harry was about to come, he gave Louis a slight warning. The he thrust into Louis' mouth, and maybe it wasn't the best orgasm he'd ever had, but damn if it wasn't pretty fucking good anyway. When he finished, Louis glanced up, looking ridiculous. Some of Harry's cum had dribbled down his chin onto his chest.   
  
"You're lucky." Harry told him.   
  
Louis moved so that he could kneel over Harry. He climbed over him and they faced each other.   
  
"Why am I lucky?" Louis asked him, smiling naughtily.   
  
"Because even though your mouth is covered I wouldn't mind kissing you right now." Harry told him, looking him square in the eye.   
  
"Fine," said Louis, "I'll kiss you.  _If_  you do something for  _me_." He gestured down to his own very obvious erection.   
  
Harry had expected that, but he definitely didn't mind at all. He grinned up at Louis, totally mindblown that their relationship had escalated to this. Though he thought that the fact that it was still sort of unbelievable was kind of amazing. He was pretty sure he'd still feel this way in a few years. "Of course I will. I love you."   
  
Louis stared at him for a few seconds before meeting Harry in a kiss.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"Boys," Jay said with a forced smile. They didn't blame her at all. Zayn, Niall, and Liam sat down across from her. She was in a private table in a closed off room. They were still in the hotel because they were too scared to go out and face the world. Not to mention they did have to talk about some private things.   
  
"We have to talk to you." Liam said, putting on a brave face. As if the Mail hadn't just published an article calling them all gay. Luckily the fans had responded well to their tweets, figuring that it was a tabloid making up stuff.   
  
Still, there would be questions.  
  
"I had a feeling." Jay said, pushing a plate of bread toward them. Niall eagerly took two pieces while Liam and Zayn both took one.   
  
"We know." Liam confessed quietly. "About, you know... what Louis does. And about Harry."   
  
"You can speak openly, boys." Jay told them. "Anne did a spell so that no one can overhear a conversation I'm having. So you know about the witches and PAUSE, yes?"  
  
Niall gaped at her while Zayn began chewing very slowly.   
  
"Wait, so Anne  _knows_  that you're in PAUSE? And she helped you?" Liam blurted out. Niall and Zayn shot him looks and Liam quickly corrected himself. "I  _mean_ , if you were in PAUSE and you used to tag people like Harry's mum, and she  _knows_  that, wouldn't that put her off you a little bit? Because it means supernatural people are being regulated and she probably disagrees with it."   
  
Liam was afraid that he'd annoyed her, but to his surprise, Jay just smiled. "It's true that PAUSE tries to regulate supernaturals. And it's also true that I used to do what Louis was trained to do. I believed it was right because I thought I was saving people from other harmful, much more powerful people. Back then, PAUSE used to be about preserving humanity. Or so I thought. Adrian, PAUSE's president, has probably been trying to gain more and more power over the years. Anyway, Anne and I had a long talk. We explained our perspectives to each other, and I will let you know that friendship is a much more powerful force than anything either of us have dealt with."   
  
Liam looked at Zayn and Niall, who were probably both thinking what he was thinking.   
  
"And, yes, I know about Louis and Harry."   
  
Liam whipped his head around back at her and he felt his jaw drop a bit. She  _knew_? "You.. you know... about them?"   
  
She shrugged at that. "One doesn't need magic to know how much they care for each other. I imagine they hit a bump when Harry found out about PAUSE, but trust them. They must have made up by now. You boys have to try to understand. Their secrets, they couldn't even tell each other. I know you probably feel a little put off by the fact that they kept it all from you. But they also kept it from  _each other_. At my and Anne's instructions. Though I thought they were human. Anyway, when you do see them again - and  _yes_  I'm saying when because I do trust we'll find them - try to look at them as if they're the best friends you've always known. In a way, they are. But I'm sure they'll be willing to answer any questions you have. About magic and PAUSE, at least," she added with a wink.   
  
"How will you find them?" Niall asked. "Do you and Harry's mum have a plan? Can we help?"   
  
"We're forming a plan." Jay told them. "Because we know the boys might be in a dangerous situation, and truthfully Anne and I are beside ourselves even though I'm trying to remain as calm as possible. We have a feeling they're as okay as possible, mostly because they're useful to Adrian. But you three shouldn't physically get involved in the situation. We don't want to put you into danger as well."   
  
"There our best friends." Zayn said. "We have to do  _something_."   
  
She looked impressed. "I won't put you into danger. But if there's anything on the safer side of things. I think you boys should start with trying to assure the public that things are going to be fine. I'm not sure if you know, but some of your fans are even going sick with worry."   
"We know." said Liam. He glanced toward Zayn and Niall and their eyes all met in mutual understanding. Then he turned back to Jay. "We'll do whatever you want us to do, as long as we can help."   
  
And if they happened to do anything extra... anything they actually  _could_  do to help the boys, find them, then that was what would happen. Because they couldn't just sit around and do nothing.   
  
  
  
When they went back to Niall's hotel room, they all spoke about their silent agreement.   
  
"What would we even do?" Niall asked. "We have less of a plan than Jay does. We have nothing!"   
  
"We have Isabel." Liam reminded him, and looked at Zayn. "I know it's dangerous, but she can get to PAUSE, and we can get to it through her. Or at least try. They're our bandmates. We have to do something. We have to try."   
  
"Where do you think they are?" Niall sat beside Liam, shaking a little. "Do you think they're okay, like Jay said?"   
  
Zayn sat on Niall's other side. "They're probably not starving to death. Who knows?"   
  
Liam had to admit that was rational. Though whatever Harry and Louis were being used for, they had to put an end to it. Before PAUSE put an end to their friends.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry and Louis lay together lazily. They had just woken up but they hadn't bothered getting up and doing anything yet. Louis stretched his arms and legs and then wrapped his arms around Harry. Harry responded naturally, putting an arm around Louis, bringing him closer. Louis smiled, momentarily forgetting where they were. It was always in the back of his mind, but when he was this close to Harry and could just breathe him in, things were okay. Better.   
  
It was mind-blowing. He was  _in love_  with Harry. He hadn't gone on the X Factor expecting to question his sexuality or change his mind about PAUSE, but when he was with Harry, it just felt like what was supposed to happen. It had taken him awhile to deal with liking Harry. But oddly enough, once he had gotten used to that, it hadn't taken him very long to get used to  _loving_ Harry.   
  
Actually, it wasn't that weird. It felt natural.   
  
And it would be even more natural if they weren't stuck in this room. Though they hadn't really talked about what would happen when, and if, they left. Obviously they couldn't tell the fans.   
  
Could they?   
  
It wasn't like there weren't fans who didn't want them to date anyway. Most of their flirting on Twitter in the past had been for them anyway.   
  
No. No way. Syco would never go for that. Their management would not go for that. No. Their management wanted them to keep talking about girls. They wanted them to hang out with girls and go out with them. Louis had been lucky before - he'd had Hannah, and he'd had all of his PAUSE missions, so he was always seen with different girls. Now what?   
  
Harry could get away with anything. Louis knew Harry could easily flirt with any girl while he carried on a relationship with his best friend. He just had that kind of ability.   
  
"Do you think they're looking for us?" Harry asked suddenly. "It's been a few days."   
  
"We must be hidden really well." Louis commented. "But yeah, I think they're looking for us. Can't imagine what's going through the lads' minds though. Or our parents'. We need to get back."  
  
"I wish we could." Harry said. "Not that I don't love being alone with you, but being locked up against our will wasn't what I had in mind. I mean... I'm glad we've... you know. I just..."   
  
"Want freedom, I know." Louis maneuvered so that he could kiss Harry's forehead. "And, like,  _the fans_..."   
  
"They're probably going insane." Harry said. "And a lot of them were insane to begin with. Crap."   
  
"Do you think our parents have talked about what we all are?" Louis asked. Because chances were that they had, and he had no idea what that would do to his parents' friendships. His mum and Harry's mum were mature, of course, but could their friendship survive this? Louis had always had a feeling his friendship with Harry would survive, and luckily they had gotten a push in the right direction when Xavier showed up. But who knew if Harry would still be giving him the silent treatment. He hoped not. Maybe Harry had been on the verge of breaking down and talking to him anyway.   
  
Harry nodded. "Yeah, definitely. I wouldn't worry about it, though. I talked to my mum when we weren't speaking and she seemed more concerned about  _us_. Whether we'd be okay and... she seemed to know that we liked each other."   
  
Oh god. That most likely meant that  _his_  mum knew as well, Louis realized. His mother and Anne spoke all the time, and they most likely gossiped about things like that. Well, he didn't know for sure. Maybe they just did girly things like shopping when they were together, but if Anne knew, she had most likely told Louis' mum. "So no awkward coming out announcement?"   
  
"Unless you want to, not really. Though I'm not sure Robin or your dad know, so it might happen anyway." Harry told him. "But I'll be there with you."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
At first, Isabel had been wary about meeting up with Niall, Liam, and Zayn because who knew if their fans would follow them to their hidden location? Niall didn't blame her for that at all. She would probably kill them all if they were followed, so they did their best not to be. They wore disguises. Hoods, huge sunglasses, clothes they wouldn't normally wear otherwise, and called a car service that had absolutely no connection to them or their management. Liam had assumed a fake name and told the car to pick them up a little ways away from their hotel and then to drop them off two minute's walk from the secret location. To get there they had actually had to sneak past various people.   
  
The address they were given led them to some flat. They were surprised to find that it was rather nice. For some reason, Niall had expected an abandoned warehouse or something.   
  
When the door opened, a familiar looking girl appeared. Her eyes widened as they took off their sunglasses and she realized who they all were. And of course they all knew who  _she_  was. Mary, the girl that they had seen Louis tag.   
  
"What...."   
  
"Oh, the humans must be here." said a dry voice. Isabel appeared behind Mary, along with two other girls and a guy. "So you three actually managed to sneak out. You're suddenly less boring to me. Let them in, Mary."   
  
Mary did as she was told, opening the door more so that the three boys could slip through. Isabel led them all to the living room. Where they joined four others. Niall looked around the room. Twelve wasn't a bad number, but it still had nothing on the amount of people PAUSE had.   
  
"I can't believe you guys are here!" Mary said, not even bothering to hide her enthusiasm. "But what are you doing here?"   
  
One girl spoke up, "Yeah. No offense, but this isn't really something pretty boyband guys should get involved in." There were a few sounds of agreement.   
  
Zayn looked expectantly at Isabel. "You didn't tell them?"   
  
Isabel rolled her eyes. "Fine." She turned to the others. "Harry's a witch and Louis is in PAUSE. Was. Whatever. My understanding is he's trying to get out. Yeah, get your shock out now. And Mary," Isabel said to the shapeshifter, "Louis is the one who tagged you."   
  
"He  _what_ -"   
  
"Yeah. I know because I drank his blood and could sense it, so that was how I knew how to get in touch with you. Anyway, why don't we introduce ourselves? No icebreakers though, that's a waste of time. Just say who you are and what you are."   
  
And they did. John was a vampire. Siena was a psychic. Mary was obviously a shapeshifter. So was Sybil. Liam, Niall, and Zayn all introduced themselves and said they were humans. Robert was a vampire. Arielle was a witch. Ava was a vampire and... David was in PAUSE. When he said that, Niall had to do a double take.   
  
"There's a reason he's here," Isabel said matter-of-factly, sensing everyone's confusion. "He's going to help us infiltrate since I can't really trust my brother."   
  
"I'm a teacher," David told everyone. The guy looked twenty, and realized why everyone was giving him quizzical looks. "A young teacher, yes. So no, I don't tag or kill anyone. I teach self-defense and about the magical defenses that we use. Which, yes, we steal from witches. I completely disagree with it and that is why I'm here. The more I learn about PAUSE, the more I regret signing up."   
  
"Do you know Louis then?" Liam asked David.   
  
He shook his head. "Only by name. We're from different regions."   
  
"Where do you think he and Harry are?" Niall blurted out.   
  
David and Isabel exchanged a look. Then Isabel said. "We're getting off the point. We're here to destroy PAUSE."   
  
"We need to know if you think they're alright." Niall said. "There are a lot of people who are worried about them."   
  
"And anyone else who's been taken. I'm sure there are people worried about them as well." Liam added.   
  
Isabel sighed. "Fine. David and I are pretty sure they're alright. They're probably being held in a cell somewhere, but they're probably alive. PAUSE doesn't just kill people. They use people and  _then_  they kill them. They're pretty brilliant that way."   
  
The humans and other supernaturals in the room stared at each other in silence. Niall was pretty sure they were all thinking something similar. There was nothing brilliant about killing, but maybe vampires saw things differently. After all, she had hinted that she'd kill them all if they disagreed with her.   
  
"What's our plan?" Arielle asked. "Other than just infiltration?"   
  
"The goal is to get Adrian alone somehow." Isabel told her. "Get him alone without any of his henchmen and we can get information out of him. Or kill him."   
  
"What is it with you and killing?" Zayn asked her, suddenly stepping forward. "Your obsession with it is kind of excessive, isn't it?"   
  
Niall sucked in his breath and exchanged a glance with Liam. Was Zayn totally mad? They were in a room of vampires, witches, psychics, and shapeshifters. John, Robert, Ava, and Isabel could all kill them without even putting in much effort. And here Zayn was, trying to  _reason_  with them, telling them that killing was wrong. And, well, it was, but it was probably in a vampire's nature to kill. Niall suddenly felt just slightly sick.   
  
Isabel gave Zayn a death glare and approached him. "You don't get to tell me what's excessive and what's not,  _human_. What? You think I don't mean it? You don't think I've caught humans and sucked them dry, not leaving an ounce of blood? I have. And I'll tell you something else. I'm not afraid to stand up for myself. When Louis tried to tag me, I almost killed  _him_. As far as I'm concerned, he would have deserved it. The only reason I've just barely changed my mind about him is because he suddenly decided he's too good for PAUSE. Don't think I don't know why, either. Don't think, for a second, that I won't make you my midnight snack."   
  
Zayn gaped at Isabel, his eyes wide. But the look on his face betrayed only a little fear. Instead Niall recognized it as Zayn's  _god, you're hot_  look. Niall almost facepalmed, and when he turned to Liam, he realized that Liam actually  _had_.   
  
The rest of this meeting would definitely be interesting.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry was tired. Though it hadn't been that long since they'd woken up, he'd thrown himself at Louis again. Not that either of them had minded at all. Despite being eager about not being trapped anymore, he still couldn't get enough of Louis. But Louis had tired him out again and Harry lay on the floor, drifting off to sleep when Louis came and lay beside him.   
  
Louis looked exhausted as well. But he smiled at Harry. "Your hair is so curly."   
  
Harry smirked sleepily. "Shut up."   
  
In response, Louis took Harry's hand. "Also, your hair is very curly."   
  
"And you should very shut up." Harry replied, moving closer to Louis, resting his head on the older boy's shoulder. He blinked, his eyelids heavy. He knew he would fall asleep in a moment.   
  
He closed his eyes again.   
  
And when he opened them, he was standing up. Next to Louis. Not in the room they were trapped in. He looked at Louis, realizing their hands were still joined. Louis turned to look at him and Harry knew that they couldn't let go of each other. They weren't supposed to. Something weird was going on.   
  
Then they heard voices coming from another room. Harry finally realized they were in someone's flat, and with his free hand, put a finger to his lips, indicating that Louis should be quiet. Though... if this was what Harry thought it was, it probably wouldn't matter. Louis gave him a confused look, but because he trusted Harry, seemed to go along with it. Whatever it was.   
  
When they rounded the corner, they gaped at the sight. Liam, Niall, Zayn, and Isabel were all in a room together. And...  _Mary_? And seven others, Harry assumed were supernaturals.   
  
"What is this?" Louis asked quietly. "They can't see us, can they?"   
  
"No." Harry said. "I'm pretty sure they can't. But  _what are the lads doing here?_ "   
  
"I'm going to find all the codes that we need." said one guy. "If I can get into the system - shut it down, then we can save as many people as possible. And then we can figure out to do with Adrian and his guys."   
  
"How are you going to get the codes?" a girl asked. The others in the room nodded in agreement.   
  
"My best friend works with the computers, designing security codes to keep everything in tact. Only, she's not too happy with the organization either. She just didn't want to risk coming here. But she's on our side. Not only that, Adrian's not always in his office." said the guy with a nervous smile. "I think it's possible. And once the security walls are down, you guys infiltrate. The best time to do it is, like, three in the morning. Most people are home then. Just some security guards, but we can take them. They have guns, but if the vampires approach them from behind..."   
  
"Then we can leave them unconscious." said a young girl who Harry assumed was a vampire. She looked about fourteen, but for all Harry knew she was 287 years old.   
  
"I thought Isabel hated all other vampires." Louis said dryly.   
  
Harry turned to him, gripping his hand tightly. "Just be grateful they're trying to save us."   
  
"The lads are here. That means they know. What else have we missed?"   
  
"Wait. Something's going on."   
  
They both glanced at the girl with the short, blonde hair who had just spoken. Everyone in the room had turned to her suddenly. Even Isabel looked perplexed, and Harry had a feeling she never let herself look that way. "What is it, Siena?" Isabel asked with a nervous edge to her voice.   
  
"Someone's here." Siena said. She looked up and glanced right in Louis and Harry's direction. Harry stood still for a long moment before he realized that Siena couldn't actually see them. She could sense them. Which meant... something. She wasn't a vampire, at least. Siena continued to look in their direction, and then her eyes widened. "I think... I think it's Harry and Louis."   
  
All three of their bandmates said "What!?" in unison.   
  
"She's a psychic." Louis told Harry, turning to him. "Psychics can sense astral presence. They can't see us, but they know we're here."   
  
It still amazed Harry to hear Louis talking about this stuff. He had grown up knowing supernaturals existed and he knew about what they did and how they lived. He had known about all of this stuff all along. All he could really do was nod.   
  
"They're  _here_? Even the human?" Isabel asked, casting a glare in Harry and Louis' direction. "How are they here? PAUSE stole them."   
  
"Astral projection." said Siena. "I can't necessarily see or hear them, but I know it's them. I don't know how Louis is here. Maybe they were touching and that brought Louis across as well."   
  
"Obviously they were touching." Zayn said, sounding bored. "They're Harry and Louis."   
  
Harry couldn't help but smile at Zayn's comment. Niall and Liam both chuckled awkwardly, and beside Harry, Louis just stood still. Harry stepped closer to him.   
  
"The gay tabloid story isn't true, by the way, is it?" Mary asked. Harry and Louis stared at each other with wide eyes now. What gay tabloid story? They really had missed a lot, hadn't they?  
  
Isabel stepped forward. "Off the point," she said sharply. She turned to their bandmates and pointed in Harry and Louis' direction. "If they're really here, fill them in so they can be on their way."  
  
Their friends turned to them hesitantly. Liam opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again, like he didn't know what to say. Then, "It's like we're talking to thin air. Guys, if you're here... we don't really know what we're doing. Louis, your mum told us not to get involved in this whole thing. She and Anne and the ...coven... are working on something. But we couldn't just sit around and wait for you guys to come back. We miss you."   
  
"We hope you're alright." Niall said. "Not starving or anything."   
  
"The Mail published an article saying we were all gay. We fixed it over Twitter, though." Zayn added. "And for once, Simon was fine with handling it over Twitter. They were basically like, it's the Mail, who really cares?"   
  
Oh great. Harry had hoped that no one would catch on to that stuff. At least, not for awhile. Well, people thought he and Louis were gay together anyway, but then, the other three... the article must have heavily focused on the other three if it had some kind of surprising effect. Which, by the tone of Zayn's voice, it had. What had they said to fix it, he wondered.   
  
"But  _anyway_ , we're going to work with everyone here to free you." Liam told them. "We're going to stop PAUSE and bring you home and then all five of us are going to have a talk. There's a lot we need to talk about and not just this."  
  
Harry had had a feeling. He knew that they all had things to talk about, but mostly they just needed to get some things out into the open. The gay stuff, the magic stuff. And they had to be prepared for the lads to be annoyed at them for keeping the secret for this long. He wanted to tell Liam that he agreed, and by the look on Louis' face he did as well, but Liam couldn't hear either of them so speaking would be pointless. He just had to believe that Liam knew they'd be willing to talk.   
  
"They're fading out." Siena said softly. "They'll be gone in a minute."   
  
Harry looked down at his and Louis' hands. They  _were_  fading. Well, he figured, they had managed more than he had thought they could. Harry had been convinced that nothing like this would happen once they were stuck in that room. After all, Adrian's note had been pretty clear. No magic could leave the room. They couldn't use it to get out. But... maybe other magic could override the magic keeping them in that room.   
  
Maybe....   
  
Harry's eyes opened and he sat up immediately. He looked to his side for Louis, and found Louis awake with wide eyes as well. "Louis, you alright?"   
  
"Was that what I think it was?" Louis asked, sitting up beside him.   
  
"If what you think it was is astral projection, like when I could see you, then yeah." Harry said. "I just... I think that maybe the coven is working on getting past the magic barriers of this room. I don't think I'd be able to do that without it. And I also don't feel bad at all. My side doesn't hurt or anything. I don't feel drained." It was true. The only thing he felt was well-rested. And, well, happy to not have been drained. And relieved that people were trying to come to their rescue.   
  
Not that he was going to risk using magic again.   
  
"Good, Hazza." Louis squeezed Harry's hand once and then let go. "Hungry?" Eagerly, Harry nodded. Louis stood up and headed over to the canned food. "Looks like we got a delivery while we were sleeping."   
  
"More food?" Good, they had been nearing the end of their supply. Harry knew of one can left. They'd been careful because they had known their supply was limited.   
  
"I can't believe the tabloid thing! We leave for a few days and the boys get themselves into trouble." Louis said. "Not like most of it isn't true, but the public also doesn't need to know that yet. What do you think they meant when they said they fixed it over Twitter?"   
  
Harry smirked. "Liam probably said something about it being ridiculous. But I'm afraid to find out when we get out of here."   
  
There was a pause, and then, "Uh, Harry?"   
  
Harry glanced up at Louis. "Yeah?"   
  
"You said you think we're going to be rescued soon?"   
  
Harry grew concerned at the tone of Louis' voice. Something was off. "Well, I think so... I think that our parents and the lads and Isabel really are working on it. And like I said, the coven is trying to override the magic used here. Why?"   
  
"We're out of food."  
  
What?! That was impossible. Louis had said they had just gotten one of those magical food deliveries. Harry pushed himself up and hurried over to Louis and then saw what Louis meant. The cans of food were different than before. They had been able to just open the other ones with their hands. These new cans required a can opener, which they didn't have. Or magic. PAUSE had also been careful enough not to leave anything sharp in that room with them. And maybe they were somewhat strong, but...   
  
"We're stuck in here and we can't open our food."   
  
Louis frowned. "PAUSE torture tactics. Not surprising. We're supposed to suffer until you open the cans with your powers. But, Harry... don't."   
  
Harry didn't need to point out that they hadn't eaten in almost a day. Of course Louis knew that. They had been stupid enough to think they'd be fine. That this confinement was actually not so bad. And being trapped with Louis  _hadn't_  been that bad before.   
  
He just nodded and hoped that someone would come to their rescue as soon as possible.


	14. Chapter 14

"Where the hell have you been? We have been  _worried sick_. You had no right to sneak out when we told you specifically when we told you not to go!"   
  
Liam stood with Zayn and Niall frozen. In front of them were Jay, Robin, and their security. They were all a united force and the looks on their faces scared Liam more than their crazy fans did. Liam was thankful that none of them had magic because he would probably be more terrified.   
  
Jay had just yelled at them, but Liam, Niall, and Zayn kept straight faces. They couldn't actually tell anyone what they were up to. The adults might have been working on their own plan, but they didn't want them to get involved. There was no other way. They  _had_  to keep quiet about it.   
  
"We're sorry. We went out for a drink." Zayn fibbed. "We met some girls and the time passed quickly. We didn't think."   
  
Jay sighed. " _Boys_. Your two bandmates have been kidnapped. It's important that you stay here and that you're safe. You three are like brothers to them, and if you got kidnapped as well-"   
  
"Why would they kidnap us?" Liam interrupted. He wasn't usually so rude, but he was curious.   
  
"Association." Robin told them. "Especially now that you know."   
  
Niall nodded at Robin and then gaped wide-eyed at their bodyguard. "Wait.  _You_  know?"   
  
Their bodyguard just gave them a short nod. Liam understood. It was necessary now. He was probably sworn to secrecy, but he still needed to know what he was surrounded by.   
  
The three boys looked at each other. They didn't need to speak to each other to know what they were all thinking. They had to agree, or at least act like they were agreeing. And Liam wished that they didn't have to deal with this at all, but now that they were involved, there was no going back. Also, he was pretty sure that those vampires would come after them if they backed out now.   
  
Not that they would. Harry and Louis were their friends, after all.   
  
The three adults scolded them for another minute, and then they excused themselves and headed up to Zayn's hotel room. Once they reached the room, Zayn collapsed on his bed and reached over to the bedside table for the remote control to turn on the television. But Liam saw what he was doing and got to the remote first, grabbing it and holding it high above Zayn, who couldn't reach it without getting up. And clearly Zayn didn't want to put in the effort.   
  
"Give that back!" Zayn said, pouting. And normally the pout would work on Liam, because he was a giant softie with his friends, but he was determined right now .  
  
"We all still have to talk." Liam said. He sat on the bed and Niall sat next to him. He felt weird, like he and Niall were the parents and were going to give their kid a lecture. But they needed to talk some sense into Zayn. Earlier, he and Niall had exchanged two texts. Niall had sent him ' _I + Z??_ ' and Liam had replied with, ' _well talk 2 him l8er_.' And now it was later.   
  
The thing was, they wanted Zayn to be happy. Of course they did. And they were no one to judge, considering that they were kind of together now, but...   
  
"We saw how you looked at Isabel, mate." Liam blurted out. "You know she almost killed Louis, right?"   
  
Zayn sat up and looked him square in the eye. "What I do in my private time is my business, Liam. And it's not like I've even gone out with her or anything. She's fit. I noticed. So what? You guys can't blame me, considering."   
  
Liam looked at Niall. They knew what Zayn meant. They'd all done it. Met some fit girl, hooked up with her. Well, Liam hadn't really, but he knew Niall had. Louis and Harry both had. Not that any of that mattered now. But still, Zayn was right about that. No one could really judge Zayn for noticing Isabel's looks. And truth be told, if Isabel was a nice person, she would totally be Zayn's type.   
  
"What happened to Rebecca, though?" Niall asked. "Weren't you settling down or something?"   
  
Liam snorted and Niall looked at him, confused. But Liam had figured that Zayn and Rebecca wouldn't last anyway. Zayn was eighteen and not the settling down type.   
  
Zayn shrugged. "Amongst your drama and Larry Stylinson's drama, we broke up. Not because of you guys or anything, but we just weren't feeling it. But I'd like to feel Isabel."   
  
"Gross!" Niall made a gagging sound, and Liam was tempted to chuckle. Though he saw the glare Zayn gave Niall and decided not to.   
  
"What's so gross about her? She's hot." Zayn said.   
  
"And she drinks blood to live and threatens to kill every living thing that crosses her path. If you start dating her I'm going to invest in some Holy Water." Niall said, smirking. "And some stakes."   
  
"I'm sure Louis has some. When they get back, we'll ask him." Liam said. But then he realized what he'd just said. Harry and Louis.... what if they didn't come back? They might have been able to astral project into that room, but that was a few hours ago. Things could have changed by then. They could have died by then. No one actually  _knew_  if they were going to be okay. People were just making educated guesses.   
  
"You're not going to stake her." Zayn said, leaning back on his pillow again. "And she's not going to kill anyone. She obviously threatens people when  _she_  feels threatened. So don't threaten her."   
  
"Okay, but it's the way she says it. And  _she almost killed Louis_. She looked proud of it when she told you. And you didn't care?"   
  
Zayn closed his eyes. "I care. But she's not going to kill him anymore. Are you done?"   
  
Niall looked at Liam hopelessly and Liam nodded. They said goodbye to their friend and that they would text him if they needed him for anything, and then they headed to Niall's room. Liam had moved his stuff into Niall's room and checked out of his own. It wasn't just because of the gay thing, though. Ever since learning about what lurked in the shadows - what  _really_  existed in the world - Liam didn't really want to be alone. Their management hadn't had a problem with it and had actually thought it was a smart idea. But then again, they had no idea what was going on behind their backs. Management had assumed that the gay story in the paper had been wrong. And, well, The Mail  _had_  gotten some details wrong. But they were still on to something.   
  
"We offended him." Liam said as Niall took out his key card and they entered the hotel room. "I didn't mean to offend him. I'm just worried. He  _thinks a vampire is hot_."   
  
"She is." Niall said, tossing his stuff onto the table beside the television. Liam gaped at him, and Niall shrugged. "Don't look at me that way, Liam! Vampire or not, she is hot. Whether or not she's a killer is a different story."   
  
"She even said she's a killer." Liam pointed out. He sat down on Niall's bed and looked up at him. "I know we're working with her, but I don't want anyone to get hurt. And if she and Zayn...."   
  
Niall sat next to him. "It's gonna be  _fine_. I mean, I don't think it'll go further than him noticing her. She's not going to hurt him." And in an attempt to be sly, Niall covered Liam's hand with his own. It was nice and comfortable and  _safe_ , which was funny because Liam had never really thought of being with a guy as safe. Sure, he couldn't deny liking Niall anymore, but he hadn't really considered that compared to everything else going on, being with Niall was  _safe_.   
  
"And we'll all be okay." Liam said. Not just to Niall, but to himself. He needed to assure himself that everyone actually would be alright.   
  
"Yeah. We will all be okay." Niall said, his eyes lingering on Liam's.   
  
Liam stared at him until he just  _didn't care_  anymore. He rushed forward and kissed Niall, grasping his shirt. Suddenly, he knew that he needed to be close to someone. He needed some kind of comfort and this was the perfect kind. Niall kissed him back, pulling Liam back onto the bed with him. Soon, they lay facing each other while kissing, and Liam didn't want to stop.   
  
He had no idea what to do. He knew that Niall would expect this to go further at some point and in all honesty, he wanted it to as well, to see what it was like. And also he knew that once he did more with Niall he would be used to it. But he wasn't sure  _what_  to do. They hadn't even really done anything but kiss and touch each other. And the touches has been intimate, but nowhere near sexual.   
  
Like that one time, he slipped his hand under Niall's shirt. This time, he didn't feel that weird about it. He was getting used to this, and other than the lack of boobs, it wasn't  _that_  different. Okay, it was. But it was different in a good way. Niall ended up doing the same and kissed him harder.   
  
But then Liam moved his hand lower experimentally. Then he started to unbutton Niall's trousers.   
  
"What're you doing?" Niall asked LIam in between kisses.   
  
"No idea." Liam replied. Because he really didn't know. He hadn't prepared for this in any way, but he wanted to see what would happen. He actually did feel like needed this.   
  
"You wanna go further?" Niall asked. He moved around and suddenly Liam found himself on his back, looking up at him. Niall had just taken control. Well,  _that_  was interesting, to say the least. And Niall was quite sly about it. He had intentionally sat over Liam's crotch, covering it with his own. And even though they were separated by clothes, Liam was very much aware.   
  
"Somewhat further. I just... never did this with a guy before." Liam said. Obviously he hadn't and obviously Niall knew that. And he knew that he didn't have to elaborate that "this" didn't mean snogging; it meant sexual stuff.   
  
"You think I have? You are basically all of my experience with guys." Niall replied. And obviously that was true as well. Liam felt like they'd discussed this a million times before. But if this was a stepping stone to get to whatever  _further_  was, he was more than happy to. "And you know that." Niall said, before kissing him again. Liam definitely knew. He felt like he knew all about Niall's personal life. He'd bragged enough back when they all thought he was straight, and now this was totally different for him. He briefly wondered if Niall would still brag to the other lads.   
  
"I was thinking we could start with blowjobs." Liam said carefully. "But if either of us feels weird about it we'd stop."   
  
Niall grinned and looked at him like he had just said the most adorable thing ever. "You  _planned_  out what further is." he said, amused.   
  
Liam's cheeks warmed up. "Well. Sort of."   
  
"Don't worry." Niall said, leaning in to kiss him again. "I totally agree."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry watched Louis sleep for awhile. There were a few reasons for it. First, he just liked watching Louis sleep. Sometimes he would twist and turn uneasily, and covered his face. He just did really cute things in his sleep. Also, Louis was still a bit of a sleepwalker. Not that he had done much lately, but sometimes he would sit up in bed as if he was going to sleepwalk, before laying back down. He had taken to doing this a few times while they were in that room. He would sit up and reach out for Harry. Harry knew better than to wake him up, but he would gently lay Louis back down and hold him for awhile. That seemed to calm the older boy down.   
  
Also, he wasn't that tired. Hunger had tired Louis out pretty fast. Maybe Harry adapted better to it because he was magical, but he actually didn't feel too bad. He felt almost normal, other than getting the occasional hunger pang. He knew it would get worse, but right now he was relieved and savored the feeling. Because he knew it could get worse.   
  
He looked toward the cans of food, wondering if he  _should_  open them. At least, something for Louis. Because it wasn't fair that Louis had to suffer just because Harry couldn't use his magic. But Louis had made him promise. There had been a pinky promise involved, and Harry knew Louis would get upset with him for breaking his promise, no matter how hungry he got.   
  
But Louis was  _human_. And malnutrition and starvation could kill humans. They could kill witches, too, but the process was slower so right how Harry wasn't as worried about himself.   
  
He lay down beside Louis and watched him some more. Right now, Louis rested easily. His eyes were closed and his breathing was calm. Harry had covered Louis with the blanket, in case he got cold.  
  
A day, he thought. No matter how angry Louis got. He would give it a day before he opened up some of the food. He wouldn't be able to stand watching Louis get weaker and weaker. Maybe he could just use a  _little_  magic to open a bunch of the cans, and it wouldn't be too bad. But he wouldn't tell Louis when he was about to do it because he knew Louis would protest. And then, if Louis refused to eat, Harry would pull a face until Louis gave in.   
  
He finally felt like he was getting tired, so he inched closer to Louis, getting under the blanket as well. Louis was asleep, but it was as if it was his instinct to reach around Harry and pull him closer. Harry smiled against Louis shoulder as he felt his eyelids growing heavier.   
  
  
And he was standing up. Outside, in the dark. Alone. He groaned, realizing he must have done it again. He hadn't even meant to, which meant this was probably because of the coven. Still, he looked around. He didn't recognize the street. He didn't recognize the buildings near him. The street was lit up enough, but this seemed to be one of those parts where no one dared to tread because it was slightly creepy and empty.   
  
Then he saw him. Harry looked up and saw one of the guys from that meeting with Isabel he and Louis had walked in on invisibly. The guy looked around nervously, and rushed past Harry. Harry didn't have any time to think about it. He turned around and ran after the guy, following him to an even creepier, emptier location down the street.   
  
The guy took out his keys. Because he was invisible, Harry was able to get in close and peer down at them. The key card the guy held looked like nothing special. Just one of those cards that people kept on their keychains instead of in their wallets. It looked like it was from a store. But this guy held the key card up in front of a scanner that stuck out of the door. The scanner looked a little old and rusted, but maybe that was just a disguise. Because it sounded like it worked just fine. As soon as the card was scanned, the door opened. The guy walked inside, and before the door could close, Harry snuck in behind him.   
  
Harry didn't recognize this place right away, but it had some similar qualities to somewhere familiar.   
  
Looking around, he realized where he was. It was another PAUSE building. It was pretty clear, considering the simplicity of the inside of the building, despite the technology he saw.   
  
This was weird .Why was Isabel working with someone from PAUSE? Yeah, she had sold them out to her brother, but Harry completely believed that she had done it for what her version of "the greater good" was. Not that Harry wasn't annoyed at her - after all, they'd ended up trapped in a power-sucking room, but she had done it to try and bring down the organization. Harry was sure of it.   
  
Which meant, he realized, that this guy was under cover. He was in PAUSE, most likely, but was actually working with Isabel and that whole group.   
  
He followed the guy until they reached a doorway in a dark hallway. The guy used his keycard again and slipped in. Again, Harry slipped into the room behind him.   
  
The room, Harry observed, was full of computers. The monitors were all on, and Harry was relieved to find that they weren't watching anybody. Instead, Harry realized as he walked toward one of the screens, they were files.   
  
Files. About supernaturals. Being tracked all over the world.   
  
Oh god.   
  
Harry looked up to see that the guy had sat down next to a girl who looked like she was about eighteen or nineteen.   
  
"So what do I have to do?" she asked the guy.   
  
"Try to find the security codes, I guess. They're somewhere in the computer. That's what they want. To break in." he said. "And it's a combination of security and magic keeping people trapped as well."   
  
"David..." she said hesitantly. "I don't know if I can."   
  
He looked her square in the eye. "Think of everyone you'll be saving, Jodie.  _We'll_  be saving. You're a computer genius, and you're practically into the system anyway. Adrian trusts you more than anyone in this region."   
  
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Jodie jumped a bit but David put a hand on her shoulder before heading to the door. When David opened it, Harry was surprised to see Hannah standing there. She came in to the room, and David locked the door behind them.   
  
"How was it?" she asked David, sitting down in the free chair on Jodie's other side.   
  
"Harry and Louis astral projected into our meeting." David told her. "Which is why I invited you here. I know you're involved already, but we all realized we needed to keep you informed."   
  
She smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I appreciate it because being stuck by Adrian's side all the time keeps me out of the loop. But I think I'm earning his trust. He didn't trust me because Louis and I were talking about our discoveries rather than just doing our jobs. But I've convinced him that I don't care about Louis at all. Obviously that's not true."  
  
"Are you and Louis back together?" Jodie asked curiously. Harry stood very still. Of course, he knew the answer, but it was still strange to hear someone ask, especially after all that had happened.   
  
Hannah shook her head. "No. Just friends. But I still care about him. I care about all the guys, and if he and Harry are in danger, we need to help them, as well as anyone else in their position."   
  
Harry blinked and felt himself being pulled away. He closed his eyes, expecting to open them and find himself in the room with Louis. After all, that was what had happened each time. But when he opened his eyes he was still standing up. And he was surrounded by the coven.   
  
He was in the middle of a circle of coven members. He blinked. Looking around. Their eyes were all closed, and they looked like they were all concentrating. He turned around and found his mum and Gemma standing next to each other. "Mum?"   
  
Anne's eyes opened and then widened. She grinned at him. Harry realized that she could actually  _see_  him. "Hi honey."   
  
Gemma opened her eyes and slowly the rest of the coven members did so as well. They began muttering to each other, relieved that their spell had worked. Harry didn't even need to ask what spell it was. The coven had made him transport to the PAUSE building, and then to this meeting. He was  _visible_. Awkwardly, he looked down to make sure he was wearing something. Thankfully, he was wearing boxers. Not that he was a very modest person. After all, he was known for stripping whenever he felt like it. But these people were his magic elders, and he figured he should make a good impression.   
  
"Harry, you need to tell us as much as you can as fast as you can. What is your situation?"   
  
Harry took a deep breath. He knew he didn't have much time, so he listened to the coven elder who had just spoken. "Louis and I are trapped in a draining room. It looks like a small dorm room with a bathroom attached. We have some blankets and running water, but no furniture or anything like that. We're not sure where we actually are. Also, we can't open our canned food. We have no can opener or anything sharp, and PAUSE wants me to use my powers so that we can eat. It's their way of tricking me into letting them drain my magic, I guess. Louis told me not to do it, but he's taking being hungry worse than me. We haven't actually been without food for that long, because before we were given cans we could just open up with our hands."   
  
The coven members nodded in that way that wise elders often did. Gemma said, "So you two are going without food?"   
  
"It's been a day." Harry told her. "So far it's not too bad. But I'm going to start worrying about Louis soon. I'm tempted to open up the food, but..."   
  
"Harry," Anne said softly, "If your magic drains in that room, you'll die."   
  
Harry stared at her.  _What_? He hadn't heard that. When someone didn't join the coven, that person's magic drained naturally and he or she was fine. But he supposed that room wasn't natural. The magic would drain too fast. When one lost his or her magic naturally, it took years.   
  
"So it's my life or Louis' life." Harry said, crossing his arms. Still, the choice was easy. If it came down to it, he would save Louis.  
  
... But what if he died? He had told Louis he couldn't deal with him being dead. Did Louis feel that way? Maybe... Louis did. He was willing to suffer to save Harry's powers. When it came down to it, maybe they just wanted to save each other. They were willing to hurt themselves to save the other.   
  
"It is." said another coven member. Anne and Gemma were silent and clearly too upset to say much more. "And you should save yourself."   
  
Harry stared at her. "Excuse me? I'm supposed to just wait and not help Louis? You don't understand. I have to help him. I know you're probably thinking that because he was in PAUSE that I should put myself first, but I'm not going to do that. Please," he looked around the circle. He knew that his mum and Gemma would help, but he needed to ask everyone else, "just try to do your best. Both of us need to be safe. Try to put your biases aside. Don't try to think of it like you're going to save either him or me. Save both of us. I won't leave the room without him."   
  
As if Louis heard him talking, Harry felt like he was being shaken awake. It was a weird feeling that always took him by surprise, mostly because he was still just standing there. But he knew Louis was awake in the room, trying to wake him up. Maybe he needed Harry. Maybe he wasn't well. Maybe he was too hungry.   
  
"I have to go." Harry told them. "But please work on it. I know you are. But don't just focus on me. Focus on Louis as well."   
  
He closed his eyes and then when he opened them, he was staring up at Louis. Louis was kneeling over him, gazing down at him. Harry smiled. Louis looked alright.   
  
"You're awake. Finally." Louis said. He leaned down and kissed Harry on the lips. "Good dreams?"   
  
"I astral projected again." Harry said. At Louis' worried look, Harry assured him, "I feel fine. How do  _you_  feel?"   
  
"Hungry. Weak and headachey." Louis said honestly. "But otherwise okay. I can deal. You astral projected? Really?"   
  
"Yeah." Harry sat up a bit. "I tailed one of the guys from that meeting with Isabel. David. Turns out he's in PAUSE. I followed him into the PAUSE building and it turns out that he's working with this girl named Jodie and Hannah showed up and they filled her in on what's been going on. She's alright, by the way." There was a bit of relief in Louis' eyes because of that. "And then the coven brought me into one of their circles. I filled them in, told them we're okay but have no food. And..." Words failed him. He couldn't say that if he used up his magic he would die. He couldn't deal with Louis' reaction to that.   
  
"And what?" Louis asked, staring at him. Harry was silent. "Harry, tell me. If we're not keeping secrets from each other anymore, that means we're not keeping new ones from each other either."   
  
Harry nodded. "Alright. My mum said that if this room completely drains my magic, I'll die."   
  
"No." Louis said. "That settles it. You're not going to use your magic. Promise me, Harry."   
  
Harry knew that he would save Louis if he had to, but he promised anyway.   
  
"Good. I'll reward you." said Louis, looking more sleepy now. It seemed to have hit him suddenly. "I'll reward you  _a lot_."   
  
"How's that?" asked Harry, expecting something sexual. And maybe hoping for it.   
  
"When we get out of here," Louis said with a loopy smile, "I'm going to take you out. Just the two of us." He reached up, pulling Harry toward him. "And I will dance with you in front of everyone."   
  
For a moment, Harry couldn't stop staring. Because... Louis wanted to be with him for real. It was a nice thought, but... well, maybe they could still dance together. Maybe the public would question them and they could just not say anything. Maybe... He looked up into Louis eyes and then reached around him and hugged him tight.   
  
"You're probably delirious from hunger." Harry muttered into Louis shoulder. "But I appreciate the gesture."   
  
"No!" Louis insisted quietly. "We can grope each other a lot and let people wonder..."   
  
Harry wanted to mention that they did that anyway, but Louis rested his head on Harry's shoulder, dozing off again.   
  
Wait... would the hunger would have weakened him so much, so so soon? He gently lifted up Louis' head and looked at him. Louis' eyes were closed.   
  
Harry stared at him in horror. Oh god. The room wasn't just taking away Harry's powers whenever he used them. It was weakening Louis. Sucking up his energy and nutrients. Speeding up the starvation process.   
  
The room was doing something to the both of them.   
  
Harry hugged Louis close. It was going to come down to him saving Louis. It was. He just hoped Louis would forgive him for it.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Liam dozed on and off, holding Niall close to him. He didn't dream, but instead he savored this. He had actually done stuff with Niall. Sexual stuff. It should have scared him more. And a few weeks ago the idea of it had absolutely terrified him. But now he took in Niall's scent, how nice it was to hold him. He smiled, realizing that maybe this was what he should have been doing all along. He should have realized how stupid he was acting when he was jealous.   
  
As if hearing his thoughts, Niall looked up at him and then launched himself forward and kissed him.   
  
Then the phone beside the bed rang and Liam groaned before reaching over to pick it up.   
  
"Hello?"   
  
"Liam, it's me." Zayn said. "Isabel just called me. Said we need to meet her."   
  
Liam groaned again. "When?"   
  
"Now. I don't know, man, it sounded important."   
  
"What is it?" Niall whispered. Or rather  _attempted to whisper_ , since it was hard for the boy to stay quiet.   
  
To Niall, Liam said, "We have to go meet Isabel." And then into the phone, he asked, "How are we even going to get past everyone? They told the front desk people to watch out for us."   
  
"Yeah, I thought of that. She said we have invisibility rings in our pockets from earlier that David stole from PAUSE. I feel like we're in Harry Potter or something. Anyway, get dressed and meet me in my room in five." With that, Zayn hung up.   
  
Liam turned to Niall. "We have five minutes."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Louis stretched, looking around. He took in the empty room that had become his and Harry's home for the past few days. He had to admit that, yeah, this sucked. But he couldn't have picked a better co-capitve.   
  
And that was when he realized... He felt okay. He was a little hungry, but he didn't feel nearly was out of it as he had before. He didn't even remember anything he said to Harry before. He remembered Harry waking up... and he realized he must have passed out.   
  
He looked next to him. Was Harry sleeping again? He was curled up into himself. He looked kind of cute, so Louis crawled over to him and found that there was a piece of paper and a pen beside Harry.   
  
They hadn't had those before.   
  
Worse, beside him, all of the food cans were slightly open.   
  
He picked up the piece of paper tentatively and read.   
  
 _I did this because I love you. And I'm not sorry. But I still hope that someday you will forgive me. x_    
  
Louis looked up from the note and stared at Harry. What did Harry mean? Did he mean the food? Did he mean...   
  
That was then he felt it. He closed his eyes and  _really felt it_. It was inside him, all over. He felt like he could touch something and break it. Or fix it. He felt like he could survive in this room even without eating. Which meant...   
  
He quickly rushed to Harry's side and picked his head up, placing it in his lap. "Wake up, Harry. Wake  _up_. Haz. Harry.  _Harry_."   
  
But Harry didn't wake up. He was unconscious and there was no fixing it.   
  
Because Harry's magic was flowing throughout Louis. Harry had known that just opening the food wouldn't help Louis because he was too far gone, so he gave Louis his magic to keep him alive. Louis hadn't heard of any spell for that, but there were so many spells and charms that Harry knew that Louis didn't. Louis didn't know how to reverse this and Harry  _knew_  that. He didn't know how to control the magic at all, so he couldn't even  _try_  to use it on Harry, for fear of actually ending his life.   
  
Which might happen soon without his attempt at using magic, Louis realized, to his horror.   
  
It was then that Louis realized what he had been missing. Because even though he'd gotten used to Harry using magic, he had never understood or  _felt_  it before. Magic wasn't just a part of Harry's life. It was his  _life force_. It had been stupid, selfish, and naive for Louis to treat Harry the way he had when he found out about his magic. A part of him had wanted Harry to give the magic up, start to think it was all wrong for him. That way, it would have been slightly easier for them to be together.   
  
But no. Magic was part of what kept Harry alive. And now, because he didn't have his magic anymore, he was dying.


	15. Chapter 15

Zayn, Liam, and Niall all went through the pockets of their trousers to find the invisibility rings that had supposedly been given to them. Well, Liam assumed that was what Zayn had done. He and Niall had had to pick up their dirty clothes and search. But it hadn't taken very much effort to find them. The rings were just tiny silver bands with an even smaller button. He assumed that when they pressed the button, they would become invisible, but he didn't want to try it unless he was with Niall and Zayn, while they were also trying it.   
  
They dressed in black trousers and hoodies and then rushed over to Zayn's room. When he took in their outfits, Zayn smirked and commented that,  _no_ , they didn't look suspicious  _at all_. Zayn himself was just wearing dark jeans and a t-shirt that was slightly form-fitting (most likely for Isabel's benefit).   
  
"Your relationship is going to be the most ridiculous thing ever, isn't it?" Zayn mused as he picked up his ring from the table, where it rested next to his room key. He took that as well.   
  
"No, leave that up to Harry and Louis." Liam said. He took his ring out of his pocket, and then Niall did the same thing.   
  
"Ready?"   
  
"I guess we have to be." Liam muttered. He slipped the ring on his finger as the other lads did the same. Then Zayn counted to three and they pressed the buttons.   
  
Liam could still see them. Zayn and Niall looked just as confused as he felt.   
  
"Should we try this out?" Niall asked, moving toward the door.   
  
They left the room and walked down the hallway. For a moment, they didn't pass anyone so they weren't sure if the rings were actually working. But then they reached the elevator just in time for someone to walk out. It was an older woman, who didn't so much as give them a second glance. Liam watched her walk away, stunned. He would have been cynical and suspicious that she was just ignoring them if the same woman hadn't greeted them when she saw them yesterday.   
  
"We're invisible." Liam whispered. Finally, it was sinking in. He wasn't sure what they were about to go do, but it had to be important for Isabel to call them out in the middle of the night.   
  
They managed to get past the front desk just fine. No one saw them, and even though Niall still looked like he wanted to marvel at how absolutely amazing it was, they weren't sure that if being invisible kept people from hearing them as well. So when Niall had looked like he was about to burst out with how awesome it was, Liam brought a finger to his lips to remind Niall that they didn't want to risk being caught. Niall quickly nodded and mimed zipping his lips. In response, Liam stuck out his tongue and Niall's face reddened. Zayn saw the whole thing and just sighed at them.   
  
When they walked out of the hotel, Zayn led the way. Liam and Niall followed him around the corner and finally between two buildings, which seemed highly suspicious, but who was Liam to judge?   
  
Then a girl appeared in front of them. Out of thin air. It made Liam jump just a bit because he hadn't expected it. Also, because he didn't recognize her. She hadn't been at that meeting with everyone else.   
  
"Who are you?" Zayn asked, deducting that she could see them since she was staring right at them.   
  
"I'm Vanessa." she said in an American accent. "I'm also a friend of Harry's."   
  
"You're from America." Niall said, pointing out the obvious.   
  
"New York," Vanessa added on, nodding. "I'm in the the New York City coven. Isabel contacted me and I flew here earlier today." That explained why she looked exhausted. "I think we're going to break into PAUSE and try to shut down their system."   
  
"We're what?" Zayn asked. "How?  _Us_?"   
  
"All of us." Vanessa corrected. "If we shut down their system, we can rescue Harry and Louis. I think. Isabel tried to explain it all to me, but she basically told me to be a good little witch and use my magic when she tells me to." She rolled her eyes.   
  
Niall let out a snicker. "Sounds like Isabel alright."   
  
"I'm supposed to bring you to the PAUSE building we're infiltrating. Everyone else is waiting." She wasted no time. She took Liam's hand, and then Zayn's hand, and then Niall took Liam's free hand. Two seconds later, they were standing in front of the group they had met during the meeting Isabel called.  
  
Isabel was standing at the front of the group, of course. She eyed the four of them before speaking to the rest of the group. "Alright, guys. We're all invisible. We can see each other, but people who aren't invisible cannot. So don't fuck up and deactivate your rings unless you want the PAUSE guards to shoot you. And they will."   
  
"What did we get ourselves into?" Liam wondered aloud. Niall and Zayn gave him quiet nods in agreement.   
  
As if she'd heard what Liam had said, and maybe she had, she shot Liam a glare. To his surprise, she didn't say anything, but the look she gave him was clearly a warning. And it was probably not the best idea to piss off the vampire who had almost killed Louis.   
  
Liam gave her an apologetic look. This was going to be a long night.   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
  
"Harry, it's going to be fine." Louis muttered, looking down at the weakening boy. He was pretty sure that any minute now it was going to happen. He was going to lose Harry. The feeling of dread in his stomach crept up his throat and he felt like he might be sick if he actually had anything in his stomach. But he had to be strong and brave, that was what Harry would want. He held Harry closer to him, brushing his fingers through Harry's curls, burying his face in his hair.  _Please don't die_ , Louis thought.  _Not when we're just figuring all this out. I need you._    
  
He had never needed someone as much as he needed Harry. He wanted to be with him, not just now, but... well, he  _loved_  him. He couldn't see himself stopping that. He  _wanted_  to take Harry out on sort-of dates and eventually real ones, go dancing with him, be  _happy_  with him. Because he couldn't see himself being this happy with anyone else. He should have known from the beginning that this was meant to be, but he had been stupid.   
  
Louis knew he had been numbing himself to his feelings about Harry for a long time. Sometimes he drank the feelings away, and sometimes he just willed himself to forget them. He had gone too far with some girls he'd had to tag, even back when he was going out with Hannah, because he didn't know how to deal with how he felt. He hadn't even known what it was. But he _had_  known how Harry looked at him, as much as they had both been in denial.  
  
While all along, Harry had been a witch. And not the kind of witch Louis had been trained to be scared of, but the kind who healed people, who saved people they cared about when they were about to die. He kissed Harry's forehead, growing more and more nervous. He wished he knew how to use the magic inside of him, because if he did, he would be able to do  _something_. Maybe he could go half and half, give Harry half the magic and keep half, at least for now.   
  
Because once they got out of there, and Louis clung to the hope that they would, he would give Harry back his magic. Even though he was more fine with magic now, he knew that being a witch wasn't for him. He was a human. He was a human who loved a witch who had given his life to save him.  
  
Harry cared about him enough to save him.   
  
But he wasn't sure he could do all of this without Harry. Also, the band wouldn't work with Harry simply because they all worked so well together. Harry could  _not_  die.   
  
"Damn it. How do I save you?" Louis asked the unconscious Harry. He knew it was pointless. He wouldn't get an answer. But he couldn't help it. "Harry, how do I save you?"   
  
He looked at Harry's face. He just looked like he was sleeping, but he was actually slipping away. His eyes were closed and his lips were pressed into a straight line. He had been making a serious face when he passed out. He took hold of Harry's wrist and found that Harry's pulse was still there, but very faint. He bent down and pressed his lips to Harry's, despite the fact that he was trembling. He had  _never_  thought it would come to this. Even when he found out about Harry's magic, he thought they would at least be  _safe_. He'd had the ridiculous idea that he could keep Harry and PAUSE separate. But looking at him now, this was clearly not the case.   
  
"Don't give up on me now, Styles." Louis said. "I don't know how to save you but  _please_. If you die... I can't imagine it. It wouldn't only be me you'd be hurting. It would be me, the lads, your family, other friends of yours. You don't like to disappoint people. But that's what's going to happen if you do this. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel empty for the rest of my life if I lose you. I would have even felt that way if we hadn't gotten together. Come on, Harry."  
  
It was no use. He swallowed, trying to hold back a cry he felt coming from his throat. He would be strong for Harry. He wrapped the younger boy in his embrace and held him close.   
  
This couldn't be the end of them. It  _couldn't_. He wouldn't let it.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Everything that Jodie and David were saying was going right over Liam's head. He glanced at Niall and Zayn to see if they could make sense out of any of this, but Niall looked just as lost. Zayn was just staring at Isabel.   
  
Liam looked around the room they stood in. It was full of computers. This must have been somewhere important because, it seemed to have files about all of the tagged supernaturals. And that was about as much as Liam could figure out. Everything else the two PAUSE members were saying was too technical for him.   
  
It had been a challenge to even get into this room. As soon as they had gotten into the building, the magic in the invisibility rings had been neutralized. The witches hadn't even been wearing rings, but they became visible. Luckily, it was night, and there were few guards on duty. So Vanessa and Arielle had tried to transport everyone into this room at once. Except it hadn't worked because  _all_  of their magic had been neutralized.   
  
So they walked in groups to the room. It had been risky, and Isabel had looked like she was about to slaughter the lot of them out of frustration, but they did it.   
  
Liam, Niall, Zayn, and Isabel had been the last group. They walked quietly, and Liam had grown more and more paranoid, positive that a guard would come around the corner and catch them.   
  
But no one caught them.   
  
And it turned out the cameras had already been broken, thanks to David, which he explained when they got there. Still, they were happy to finally get into the computer room, and even happier to find Hannah sitting with Jodie, who she introduced them all to. They had been informed that Hannah was a part of PAUSE and held hostage in one of the buildings, so it was a relief to find her safe and sound.   
  
And now Jodie and David were both trying to explain what they were doing with the computers. First, they had said they were trying to destroy the tagging files and had already destroyed Mary's and some others', and then they said they were going to try to go even deeper into the system and find out PAUSE's secrets, including where they kept their captives. According to David, Jodie was close to figuring it out.   
  
Liam couldn't help but wonder why they were all there, then. Maybe Isabel had expected to need an army of people. Maybe she had just figured they would want to be involved.   
  
Once David, Jodie, Hannah, Arielle, and Vanessa had started discussing technology and how it was intertwined with magic, that was it. Liam tried not to tune them out, but he just didn't get it. He understood enough to know that magic wasn't neutralized in this particular room, and he had a feeling that had to do with the mixture of magic and technology, but everyone else began talking and Liam could only look at his friends hopelessly.   
  
"What if you try to use your magic to crack the code?"   
  
"If you do, use it sparingly. This could be a draining room."   
  
"Do you think that people being held hostage are in draining rooms?"   
  
"I think that the only way to crack the code is to use a breaker charm while you try all possible combinations."   
  
"What's a draining room?" Liam asked, feeling kind of dumb.   
  
While Vanessa, Arielle, David, and Jodie all gathered around the computer, Hannah approached him, Niall, and Zayn. She gave him an apologetic look. "A draining room takes a witch's powers if the witch uses them. But this isn't a draining room, because they also hurt humans slowly, especially if they don't stay well-nourished. PAUSE keeps a lot of hostages in draining rooms, as far as I know. But no one knows where the rooms are, except for Adrian and his closest circle."   
  
Zayn crossed his arms. "So they could be dead is what you're saying."   
  
"They're smart. So I'm really, really hoping that they came up with something. I don't want them to suffer any more than you do." she told him honestly.   
  
"Got it!"   
  
They all turned toward Jodie, who had just spoken. She looked positively thrilled and David beamed at her. Then she explained, "I found out where people are being held hostage. Considering PAUSE doesn't actually have  _that_  many hostages, I have a good feeling that Louis and Harry will be there. They're in Portugal."   
  
"Portugal?" Zayn repeated doubtfully, glancing at Liam and Niall. Liam had to admit that he had his reservations and doubts as well. Of all the places...  _Portugal_? Then again, maybe that was PAUSE's intention - to keep Louis and Harry, as well as all of the other hostages, in a random place no one would think to look.   
  
"PAUSE has a building in Portugal." David explained. "A few, actually. But there's one that...." His voice drifted off and Liam noticed that he paled considerably. "Adrian always calls the storage building. I had assumed that it was where they kept old computers, or weapons, but... he must have meant they were storing  _people_."   
  
"Shit." Niall said quietly beside Liam. He sounded a bit ill. Liam had to admit he felt kind of sick himself. Zayn just looked angry at this new bit of information, and Liam didn't blame him at all. He was furious, truthfully. But he was too overwhelmed to even show it. Luckily, Zayn was good at showing it for all three of them.   
  
"How did they get to Portugal?" Robert asked. "Were they transported magically or driven?"   
  
"Most likely transported magically." Jodie said. "Less of a chance of being seen that way."   
  
"Well, now that we know their location we can use an decoding spell." Vanessa said. Everyone gave her confused looks, "It's what we Americans call breaker charms. Sorry."   
  
"Let's try it." Arielle said. "Jodie, you keep typing. Vanessa and I will try to see inside the computer and type what we tell you. If this works, any witches being held hostage will be able to leave if they try to transport or if someone transports them."   
  
As the three girls began to work with the computer, Liam took Niall's hand, not even caring that someone might see them. This was what he needed right now, and by the look on Niall's face, he needed it just as much. Then he caught Zayn's eye and to his surprise, Zayn held out his hand to Liam. Liam grasped Zayn's hand with his free one and stood with both boys on either side of him. They kept him from shaking.   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
It was almost over.   
  
Louis kept his eyes closed, his face buried in Harry's curls. He couldn't do this. He couldn't. He wasn't strong enough to see Harry die. But he  _was_  dying. He was doing what Louis would have been doing if he hadn't reversed their roles.   
  
He could feel Harry slipping away. It was some kind of intuition that might have come along with Harry's magic. Either way, he could feel Harry drifting away, closer and closer to death. Every once in awhile, he tried talking to Harry, assuring him that things would be okay. But Louis didn't believe it anymore. Adrian had won. And if - when - Harry died, Louis wasn't sure what he would do. He couldn't think about it.   
  
His eyes were still closed, but he squeezed them. He wished, with everything that he had, that he could get them out of there. He wished that he had been smarter. He wished that he had raised as a normal human. He wished... he wished they were safe and that they weren't in that room anymore. They needed to be somewhere else. Somewhere safe...   
  
A few moments later, he heard a familiar voice ask, "Louis?  _Harry_!?"   
  
Louis looked up, sure that whatever the voice wanted, he was imagining it. But instead, he found himself looking up at Harry's sister Gemma. She began to walk toward them. Stunned, he looked around, they were in a different room now. An open room, with no doors to close and trap them. Harry had explained the coven's ritual to make him astral project to him. But he wasn't astral projecting right now. He couldn't be, because they weren't visible when they did that. Except during a ritual, apparently. And there was no ritual going on. Other than Gemma, they were the only ones in the room.   
  
Gemma kneeled in front of them. "You guys... how did you... what's wrong with Harry?"   
  
Louis said, "He needs help. He gave me his magic to save me."   
  
Her eyes widened. "He did  _what_?"  
  
"How did we get here?" Louis asked.   
  
Gemma said, "I have no idea," and proceeded to take out her phone. She stood up as she called someone, who Louis assumed was Anne. Sure enough, he was right. "Mum? I don't know how, but Louis and Harry are here. Yeah,  _here_. They just appeared when I came in to get my spellbook. Can you and everyone else come into the ritual room right away? There's something wrong with Harry."   
  
It didn't take very long for the rest of the coven to appear into the room. Louis took in the sight of them. They all looked pretty normal to him. Just a bunch of people in t-shirts and jeans, and they seemed to range from eighteen to seventy.   
  
Anne pushed through the crowd and kneeled in front of Harry and Louis. "What's wrong? What happened? Tell me everything."   
  
Louis looked around nervously, and then looked Anne in the eyes. "Harry gave me his magic to save me. I didn't ask him to or anything..." he said in case the coven hated him. He wouldn't blame them, considering he'd tagged their kind and had been raised to think they were wrong. "But now he's in danger of dying and I don't know how to give him the magic back. And I don't know how we got here. I just wished to get out of the room and then suddenly we were  _here_. Can you all help him? Harry doesn't deserve this."   
  
"The barriers must be down." said one coven member, a woman who looked like she was probably forty. "Someone has to be working from the inside."   
  
"It's a bunch of other supernaturals, I think." Louis told them. "And probably some PAUSE members. They fixed it so that we could at least get out of there."   
  
Anne nodded and then looked at her son again. She looked the saddest Louis had ever seen her, and he felt awful. "We're losing time," she said, "Let's do this."   
  
She instructed Louis to stay where he was with Harry. He kept holding onto Harry as the coven gathered into a circle around them. Louis watched them, amazed how prepared they were to do this. They must have discussed this. Or, considering they were even more powerful than Harry, maybe they just knew what to do out of instinct. Either way, they began calling the elements. When each element came into play, Louis could sense it. There was a breeze when they called air, he could smell something burning when they called fire, the smells of freshly cut grass and dirt filled the circle when they called earth, and he began to feel light, invisible rain dripping onto him when they called water.   
  
Louis had learned about witch rituals but he had always heard that they were creepy, scary, and usually took place out of selfishness. He wasn't sure what he believed anymore. He had learned all about erased events in history, but he couldn't blame all witches, particularly this coven, for that, could he? They seemed concerned with protecting their own more than anything. He had no idea what they did when they weren't in danger, but he knew that Anne and Gemma couldn't be involved in something that bad.   
  
And to be honest, he felt really good right now. Any hunger he'd had left him and he just felt... at peace with everything. He found himself smiling, and the words the witches were saying drowned out around him. He looked down at Harry.   
  
Harry's eyes were open.   
  
 _Harry_ , he said. Only, he didn't actually say it because no sound came out of him. But still, Harry heard him somehow because he looked up into Louis' eyes.   
  
And then he heard Harry in his head, even though the younger boy's lips didn't move.  _Don't leave me_ , he said. He still sounded weak, but very much alive.   
  
 _You couldn't get rid of me if you tried,_  Louis assured him.  _What are they doing?_    
  
 _Taking the magic out of you and putting it back in me. I feel stronger,_  Harry replied.  
  
 _I figured they would do that. But how come I feel okay?_  Louis wondered. Harry gave him this look as if to say "hell if I know" and Louis nodded, accepting that he didn't have all the answers. He was just grateful that he was alive, and that Harry was as well. But when they got through all of this they were going to have a long talk about self-sacrifice and how Harry had almost  _died_ for him. Louis still couldn't believe that. He knew that it was a grand gesture of love, but... Harry wasn't allowed to die. He was supposed to grow older, join the coven, sing with him and the other lads, maybe make a solo album or a few someday, but still stay with him.   
  
Louis wanted a future with him, as difficult as that might be. They had almost lost that chance.   
  
A moment later, the elements disappeared. Louis could no longer sense any of them. The coven came back into focus, and as soon as they did, he stood and helped Harry up.   
  
When the group of witches released the elements, Anne and Gemma wasted no time in rushing toward Harry to hug him. They embraced him for a long time, and then when they finally released him, Harry turned and hugged Louis. They stood there hugging, ignoring the questioning looks that the coven gave them. They were here and they were alive. They had made it.   
  
"How did we get here?" Harry asked, finally pulling away. He looked around, most likely expecting a straightforward answer.   
  
"The magic barriers of the room were down." Gemma said. "You have people working from the inside, don't you?"   
  
Harry nodded. "Well, it wasn't like I asked them. But they have one of our kind with them, and if she's over eighteen she might be powerful enough to take down the barriers. Or at least rework them."   
  
Louis listened, though he didn't completely know what they were all talking about. He knew very little about magical barriers, because he had thought that PAUSE didn't take magic from witches. He had been naive and stupid, just thinking that they were a good organization, tracking supernaturals for the greater good. But as he looked around the room, he realized what he had been contributing to breaking up over the past few years. Families of witches stood together, proud of what they had achieved. They had saved part of fellow coven members' family. Their abilities united them, but underneath it all they were just normal people who didn't want others to suffer and grieve.   
  
Then, during a moment of silence, Louis had to ask, "What just happened?"   
  
"We gave Harry's magic back to him," Anne explained. "And then some, since the room took some away from him. But the elements, they've given you a little magic as well, Louis. Not enough to make you like us or for you to do spells, but enough to keep you alive and well while your body heals from the damage the room did. It'll fade away naturally and soon you'll be back to normal."   
  
That was fine with him. Anything that kept both him and Harry alive was fine. As the coven all greeted them and dispersed, Harry clung to his side like he was afraid they would get transported back into that room, and Louis kept his arm around the younger boy so that he knew he was safe.   
  
"We should text the other lads and our families." Louis finally said when it was just him, Harry, Gemma, and Anne in the room again. "So that they know we're okay."   
  
"Here." Gemma said, taking her phone out of her pocket. "Text the guys." Anne added that she would phone Jay in just a moment.   
  
Harry took the phone from his sister and Louis looked over Harry's shoulder as he typed out a text to Liam. ' _Hey man.... we made it out of captivity and we're fine. Let us know what's up x_ '   
  
"We made it out of captivity." Louis repeated to himself. They had been captives. He curled his fist, suddenly ready to kill Adrian. He had never killed in his life, but he really, really didn't think Adrian deserved to live. He had never actually thought something so cruel, but he figured it wasn't really that bad to think that about someone who had locked them in a room that had almost killed them. "We need to stop PAUSE from hurting anyone else."   
  
"We will." Anne said. "But first, let's get you boys some food."   
  
Worrying about Harry and then the ritual had temporarily distracted Louis from his hunger, and while it wasn't as bad as before, the mention of food made him salivate just a little bit. And even though they'd had it for days, he would even be satisfied with canned soup and beans.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"They're out." Liam said, gazing at his phone in wonder. "They  _made it out_."   
  
Several of the people in the room let out sighs of relief. Niall even heard a few cheers. He threw his arms around Liam and Zayn, hugging the two of them closely. And when he saw Harry and Louis again, he was going to hug them, too. And then he was going to force them to tell the rest of them everything. Niall was fucking tired of secrets. He couldn't  _wait_  to just have a big One Direction meeting and clear the air. He and Liam would tell them about them, and hopefully Harry and Louis would tell everyone about  _them_. Not just about the fact that they had gotten together, but everything else as well.   
  
"Is there a way to check on others?" Isabel asked, approaching Jodie and the witches.   
  
"We can probably find out if any energy is coming out of the other draining rooms." Jodie told her.   
  
While everyone else started doing their own thing again, Liam, Zayn, Niall, and Hannah all gathered in a circle.   
  
"What are you going to say back?" Hannah asked Liam nervously. "I have a feeling that if you tell Louis you're in a PAUSE building he'll freak out."   
  
"Harry texted from Gemma's phone anyway. Anything we say goes through her." Liam informed her. "How about we just say we're just waiting for them to come back and we're glad they're safe? And that management wants to kill them."   
  
"Sounds about right." Zayn replied. Niall nodded. There wasn't much else they could say over a text message.   
  
Liam typed, ' _we r fine just waiting 4 u to come bac! also management wants 2 kill u 2 :p_ ' and hit  _Send_.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
After Harry and Louis had both eaten and taken a shower, they were put up in a spare room in the house. It turned out this place belonged to the coven and it housed whoever needed to stay there. Right now, its residents were Harry, Louis, Anne, and Gemma. The other coven members were staying nearby as a precaution, because as soon as PAUSE figured out what had happened, they would probably try to come after the coven. But the coven members had used glamours, disguising their looks.   
  
This room was so much nicer than the other room had been, Louis observed. Well, of course. This room wasn't designed to keep anyone hostage. Still, he couldn't help but check that he could leave the room, occasionally stepping in and out.   
  
Finally, Louis stepped into the room and closed the door.   
  
Harry looked up into his eyes. "Do you realize... we made it through that alive?"   
  
Louis nodded. "You almost didn't." he said, as he sat down on the bed next to Harry. "You were almost dead. If Isabel's group hadn't gotten the magical barriers down in time and if I hadn't done some magic mumbo jumbo accidentally, we wouldn't even be talking right now. You'd be  _dead_."   
  
"But I'm not." Harry said quietly. "And I care about you being alive more. It sounds sappy, but I  _knew_  that if I had to give my life to save you, I would. And I would do it again."   
  
"I feel like I should be angry with you for almost dying. But I can't be. Because you're just looking at me in that ridiculous  _way_  you do and...." Louis drifted off, staring back at Harry. Then he surged forward and pressed his lips to Harry's. Harry wrapped his arms around Louis, bringing him closer, just letting himself feel. They had made it through and they were healing. And Harry just wanted him.   
  
As he brought Louis back against the pillow with him, Harry realized that this was probably a bad idea. This wasn't their house and it wasn't even a hotel room. It was a sacred place. It would kind of be like having sex in a Church. Not to mention he didn't have any condoms on him and he didn't want to get the bed too messy. But he continued kissing Louis anyway.   
  
Luckily, Louis seemed fine with just kissing for now. They ended up entwined, and Louis' hands were in Harry's curls now. Louis moved and kneeled over Harry so that he had Harry pinned to the bed. Then he pulled back and smiled.   
  
Then, of course, someone had to go and knock on the door. And if Harry had to make an educated guess, it was probably his mum or Gemma.   
  
Louis quickly got off of Harry and sprinted across the room before Harry called, "Come in!"   
  
Harry's assumption had been correct. The door opened and both Harry's mum and sister poked their heads into the room. Gemma looked like she was dreading them being naked together or something and seemed relieved to find them not only fully clothed, but not even in the same part of the room.   
  
"You haven't been to bed yet? It's late." Harry said, confused. It was four in the morning now. Truthfully, he was surprised to find that everyone had been around at two when they had first transported out of the room. But later he had assumed that they were trying their hardest to solve this.   
  
"We need to talk to you both." Harry's mum said very seriously, sitting on the bed where Louis had been just a few moments before. Harry looked at Louis and in return Louis gave him an uneasy smile. "And, no, it has nothing to do with the fact that you two are together. There will be plenty of time for that." She grinned at Louis and then at Harry. "We have a way to stop PAUSE from hurting anyone else. There's a ritual we would have to do, but we couldn't do it before you two came here."   
  
"What ritual?" Harry asked. How  _exactly_  could they stop an organization such as PAUSE?  
  
"They're going to erase PAUSE from history." Louis said, looking at Anne. "Isn't that right?"   
  
Anne tried to smile. "PAUSE is too far gone to save everyone any other way. And we couldn't do this while you were locked in that room, because you're important in this."   
  
"How?" Harry asked his mum, frowning.   
  
"To take something out of existence, we need someone who has almost died at the hands of that thing, as an example to show that our hearts are in the right place. We need  _you_ , Harry. And, Louis, I know this is a lot to ask, but if you join, the ritual will be twice as powerful."   
  
"Why couldn't you do this ritual with genocide and things like that then?" Harry asked, confused.   
  
"Because when these rituals, a certain number of people remember what happened. Everyone directly involved in the event remembers. When it comes to things like terrible things like that, they only involve humans. Imagine being a human, remembering such a terrible thing that other people say never happened." Anne explained. "We couldn't do that to them. It would be traumatic either way, yes, but we don't want to  _add_  to trauma. We use this type of ritual sparingly."   
  
Harry suddenly grew worried, as he knew how Louis felt about covens, this in particular. And Harry wasn't sure how he felt about it himself. He wanted to save everyone, but what would happen? He and Louis exchanged a look, and even though he couldn't read Louis' mind and didn't know what he was thinking, he asked his mum, "If we helped out with this ritual, what would happen?"   
  
"The problem is," said Gemma, "no one really knows."   
  
Anne shook her head. "That's not  _entirely_  true. We know that everyone involved in trying to stop PAUSE would remember all of these events. We also know that things would most likely proceed as normal. We also know that the public would forget that you two disappeared. We just don't know what would happen to the people in PAUSE who are not all directly involved. We also don't know what would become of the people in PAUSE that  _are_  involved. Technically, they would have done nothing wrong so we can't send them to the authorities. But I'm almost certain PAUSE would never be recreated because it's such a historical organization run through families who would forget their involvement in the organization. But we'd watch former PAUSE members closely."   
  
"The people who died," Louis said quietly. "Would they come back?"   
  
"No. Most likely not." Anne admitted, looking sorry.   
  
At that, Louis was silent.   
  
Gemma seemed to get the hint and grabbed Anne's hand. "Let's let them talk, okay, Mum? Also, we all need sleep."   
  
Anne agreed. She bid everyone good night, reminded Louis that Jay wanted Louis to call her first thing in the morning, and left.   
  
"It's all really unclear." Louis told Harry quietly, sitting next to him again. "It's just like... poof, PAUSE would disappear. Everyone's memories would be wiped. I don't know what to do."   
  
"Whatever you do, I'm doing it as well." Harry said. He had to admit that it seemed a bit weird, though maybe that was just because he was scared. If they  _didn't_  do this... well, they could get captured again. Harry would be afraid to trust anyone ever again. And his mum was right. If Adrian tried to recreate PAUSE, he would probably just be written off as crazy. He kind of wanted to do the ritual. He was afraid to do it, but he was afraid not to.   
  
Louis nodded. "I just... I don't know. I'm sorry."   
  
Harry understood. He understood Louis' reservations about magic now. And he also knew that they didn't have to decide what to do right now. So, instead of pressing the subject further, he reached out and hugged Louis. That, at least, Louis didn't have any doubts about.


	16. Chapter 16

Hours later, everyone split up. The witches sent everyone home, leaving Isabel, Niall, Liam, and Zayn for last. Isabel told the Arielle and Vanessa to give them a moment, and the two witches looked at each other and disappeared.   
  
"I'll be in touch." Isabel said cryptically. "Keep your phones on. I have some business to take care of, but I'll call later."   
  
"So what are you doing now? Can we come?" Zayn asked, trying to smile flirtatiously at her. It was awkward, at least it was to Niall.   
  
"This is when you leave." Isabel said impatiently. "I'm going to go do something even more dangerous than this. You're three boyband members. Pretty boys shouldn't witness what I'm about to do. Especially not at five in the morning."   
  
"Does that mean you care about us?" Niall dared to ask, and Isabel shot him a death glare that said  _don't make me get my fangs out_  in response. Niall took the hint. He shut up and moved closer to Liam. Liam put a protective arm around Niall's shoulder, and avoided Isabel's gaze as well. Zayn, however, was too lust-struck that he just grinned stupidly.   
  
"We want to go with you." Zayn said, even though Niall and Liam were both pretty sure Zayn was the only one who wanted to go with her. "Where are you going?"   
  
"No." Isabel told him. "You're going to go back to your hotel and pretend to sleep. That's where you belong, human."   
  
"What are you going to do?" Zayn asked, brushing off Isabel's insistence.   
  
Again, Isabel looked like she was considering biting him instead of talking. Niall knew that would be pointless, though. Zayn would probably like it. Instead, Isabel told them all, "I am going to confront Adrian. And then I'm going to kill him."   
  
".... Kill?" Liam repeated in shock. He couldn't help himself. "You... kill, as in  _die_?"  
  
"What did you think I meant?" Isabel rolled her eyes. "I've been telling you that I do this since we met. You didn't think I was serious? Adrian is going to stand in our way if we want to bring down PAUSE, so we're going to get him out of the way. His minions won't have a leader. Adrian doesn't have an heir either, and his family has run PAUSE for generations. They'll be totally lost."   
  
"That is so awesome." Zayn told her earnestly. "I want to see."   
  
"You...  _want_  to see me tear into Adrian's neck with my teeth?" Isabel asked dryly. "Right."   
  
Zayn just smiled at her. Niall and Liam exchanged a look. Zayn was a goner.  
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
  
Harry woke up pretty early, considering he and Louis had been up until half four in the morning. Then again, since they were used to a ridiculous sleeping schedule due to early morning interviews and appearances, it wasn't that surprising.   
  
The first thing Harry noticed when he opened eyes was the sunlight. At first, he was confused. Sunlight. Weren't they trapped? They had been, right? But now they were... in this other room.   
  
Slowly, his groggy memory cleared and he recalled what had happened just a few hours ago. They'd escaped! Isabel's group had managed to get down the magic barriers and Louis had transported them out of the room so that they could get help. Not that he'd meant to do magic at all, but he  _had_ , and for that Harry was grateful.   
  
Louis. He looked to his side and saw that Louis wasn't sleeping next to him. Harry stomach suddenly began to hurt. Oh god. Where was Louis? Had he been taken somewhere? Where  _was_ he? He touched the spot where Louis had been sleeping and found that the sheets were cool. He hadn't been there for at least awhile. He swallowed nervously and climbed out of bed. _There's no need to panic,_  he reminded himself. Louis was probably fine. He was probably in the bathroom or something.   
  
He grabbed his shirt and trousers from where they hung on a chair and pulled them on. Then he went to the mirror to check how horrible his hair looked, just in case it was in need of some magical afro-control before he began to look for Louis .  
  
Harry blinked. There was black marker all over his face. There was some attempt at a mustache drawn above his upper lip and on each cheek there was a heart. There was also a goatee drawn on his chin.   
  
" _LOUIS_!" Harry called accusingly. He was sure that Louis heard him because there was no way the older boy wouldn't want to be around for Harry's reaction.   
  
Suddenly he heard a snicker and he turned around sharply to find Louis coming out from behind the curtain beside the window. It was long and quite thick, so it wasn't too surprising that it hid Louis. But Harry was actually amazed that Louis had managed to stay quiet that long. He hadn't even so much as laughed. But when Louis came out from behind the curtain, he was still snickering and he actually looked pretty pleased with himself. Harry tried to glare at him, but he couldn't help but smile back. Despite the marker being all over his face, it was a relief to see Louis back to his old ways. It was refreshing after everything that had happened and everything that still had to happen.   
  
"You have to admit... you do look  _stunning_  like that." Louis said in between snickers, "It might even be an improvement."   
  
"Oh yeah?" Harry replied. Impulsively, he ran toward Louis and tackled him, pushing him backward toward the bed.   
  
Louis only pretended to struggle. "Get off me! You smell and you have curly hair!"   
  
Harry climbed over Louis instead, grinning. Then he began tickling Louis on his side. Louis shrieked and tried to fight back, but Harry quickly grabbed Louis' hands. Louis looked up at him, red-faced, and Harry bent down to kiss him.   
  
Louis stopped pretending to struggle and kissed Harry back, entangling his legs with Harry's immediately, as if this was his plan all along. And judging from how Louis was kissing back, he seemed to  _like_  having his hands held back like they were right now. Harry stored that information away for later. Harry kissed Louis' cheek and moved to his neck, tempted to give Louis a very obvious love bite. But there would be questions, wrath from the fans directed toward Louis, and probably wrath from the management. Not that they didn't know Louis led a crazy life, but they certainly didn't know the full extent of it. They would probably assume Louis got the love bite when he was out partying, but... Anyway, Louis already had plenty of love bites fading all over his body, ones that were hidden from the general public. Harry had a few of them himself.   
  
"Careful, Haz," Louis said along with a moan, as if he could read Harry's mind. Harry scraped Louis' skin with his teeth teasingly, but then resumed kissing him lower, despite the fact that a white t-shirt blocked him from going too much further.   
  
"I'm always careful." Harry murmured against Louis' skin. Mostly he just wanted Louis, and remembered that last night they'd had this dilemma as well. No sex while they were here. After doing it so much in the room, it was difficult not doing  _anything_. He pulled back, realizing that he was getting hard. "Yeah, I need a cold shower. And to clean off my face. See you in a few?"   
  
"I'll be waiting." Louis waggled his eyebrows suggestively.   
  
Harry rolled his eyes and climbed off of Louis, grabbing the towel he had used just five hours ago.   
  
  
  
In the shower Harry realized that he really wanted to go outside. He had been cooped up inside for days and that was just not normal for him. Normally he would have met a bunch of fans and performed a few gigs over the past few days He let the cool water run over him as he realized, to his horror, that he didn't even know what day it was. He had lost track when they were in that room, and he was pretty sure Louis hadn't kept track either After the first two days, everything blended together. It hadn't helped that they hadn't had windows so they couldn't tell whether it was dark or light outside.   
  
He wasn't stupid. He knew that they couldn't go out in public until this was taken care of. They were in danger, and Harry knew that. But still. He wanted to go outside. He wanted fresh air, cold as it was this time of year, and he wanted to actually  _feel_  the sunlight rather than see it through a window.   
  
Also, it would give him and Louis a chance to talk. Because even though they hadn't just talked about it, they had a big decision to make. It had been in the back of Harry's mind when he had tackled Louis, and now as he showered, he realized just how important it was to make a decision right away.   
  
He wondered what Louis' decision would be. Harry knew deep down that he really would go with whatever Louis wanted. But truthfully... he actually did want to do the ritual. He knew it was risky. He knew that making a bunch of people just forget something wasn't necessarily...  _right_ , but he saw no other way that they could save everyone. The most important thing was that other people in captivity lived, and he didn't give a flying fuck if Adrian was put into some institution for claiming magical beings existed. He was crazy for other reasons anyway.   
  
Harry knew that Louis had more doubts than he did. Sleeping probably hadn't chased those doubts away, either. He had to face that Louis had different opinions about these things.   
  
But this was important. This was life and death.   
  
He sighed as he turned off the water and slipped the towel around his waist. He made his way back to their temporary bedroom and walked in just as Louis was pulling on a different shirt than before. Harry saw his stomach and ran his eyes over the rest of Louis' body, realizing he had also taken off his trousers. Suddenly, it was like Harry hadn't just taken a cold shower.   
  
"You're really not helping the situation." Harry remarked as he walked fully into the room, closing the door behind him.   
  
Louis turned to him with a sly grin. "Don't you think I'm having a situation as well? Isn't there some kind of charm for this? Like, an anti-Viagra charm or something?"   
  
Harry snorted as he gathered up his clothes. "Sorry, Lou. Should I go into the bathroom to change, then?"  
  
"No thank you." Louis said. He walked backward and sat on the bed, leaning forward. As if Harry was about to put on a show for him.   
  
Harry shrugged, not feeling very modest at all, and dropped the towel. Louis catcalled. Not loudly, but it was enough to make Harry smile seductively at him. But he didn't put on a show. He just pulled on his clothes, and Louis stared the whole time. He was actually pretty pleased that he could captivate Louis this way, especially considering he'd questioned Louis' feelings for him a lot before they were trapped in the room. But now Louis made the feelings obvious, smiling warmly, and, well...  _dirtily_ , as Harry pulled on his trousers.   
  
"So, I think we should go for a walk after breakfast." Harry said. "I want to go outside."   
  
A look of concern passed over Louis' face. "Harry-"   
  
"It's alright, really. We can disguise ourselves as well as make ourselves invisible. It would be fine. I just need to get out. I'm having a claustrophobic moment."   
  
Louis stared at him for a moment and then nodded. Harry grinned at him. As if Louis was going to say no.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"You're going to sneak into Adrian's house?" Liam asked in amazement as they all walked down the sidewalk.   
  
Isabel glanced at him. "No.  _You're_  going to sneak into his house. Well, it's one of his houses. He has houses all over the world, but this is where he is right now."   
  
"What-" Liam began, but Isabel waved at him and Liam cut himself off. He squeezed Niall's hand and gripped Zayn's arm. As they walked Isabel kept shooting them amused looks, but luckily she hadn't made any  _so you're all gay_  remarks in the past half hour. Liam was kind of amused about it himself, considering Isabel probably didn't know Zayn had a thing for her.   
  
"You're going to sneak into his house. I physically can't enter his house unless invited, but you can." Isabel said. "And once you're in, you can invite me in."   
  
"Don't you think he has security?" Niall asked. "How are we supposed to get in?"  
  
"I have a key."   
  
Zayn didn't look skeptical, but that was only because he wanted Isabel. Instead, he looked impressed and amazed. "How'd you get that?"   
  
"It's stolen. Don't ask how. The less you know, the better. All you're going to do is open the door and let me in."   
  
"What would your plan have been if we weren't here?" Liam asked her curiously. He actually felt worried about this as well. What if they get caught? He and the other lads really didn't need any more controversial headlines right now. And something like this, a  _crime_ , couldn't just be laughed off on Twitter. Suddenly, he resented Zayn just a little for begging Isabel to bring them along. He wished he could have just grabbed Niall and made a run for it, but he knew better than that. They all had to stick together.   
  
"Either way, we're winging it." Isabel replied.   
  
When they reached Adrian's house, the three boys were surprised to find that it actually seemed... normal. They had all probably expected the same thing. A huge mansion, or something that looked cold and impersonal. But his house humanized him, just a little. He had a  _garden_  with decorations. There was a  _gnome_. Liam was so confused that he had to ask, "Are you sure this is the place?"   
  
"Yes." Isabel said, sounding annoyed.   
  
Niall looked at him, and Liam could pretty much tell what he was thinking. He didn't want to be here, and he didn't want to do this. Liam felt the exact same way. What were they  _doing_  here? Breaking into some guy's house so that a vampire could  _kill_  him? How had their lives come to that? Adrian could be the most evil person in the world, but...  _they_  just didn't do stuff like this.   
  
"Uh, Isabel... we...." Liam began. "We're having doubts about this." In an act of unity, Niall nodded and stepped even closer to Liam.   
  
Isabel glared for a moment. Then she pushed past a stunned Zayn and approached Liam and Niall. Suddenly, her eyes were glowing, and Liam knew that he might have made a mistake speaking up. "Excuse me? Did you come along for  _nothing_? I should have known better than to include humans in this whole thing-"   
  
"I'll do it."   
  
They all turned to Zayn sharply. Zayn, the poor guy, just stood there with a dopey look on his face. Liam studied him. He wasn't even trying to play it cool  _at all_. If he knew better, Liam would say Zayn was under some kind of love spell. But somehow he knew Zayn wasn't. It was probably just that Isabel had a mesmerizing effect on him.   
  
" _You_  will?" Isabel asked, surprised.   
  
Zayn shrugged. "Sure."  
  
"Zayn," Liam hissed. What if he  _got caught_? Niall's mouth hung open like he couldn't believe they were even having this conversation right now.   
  
Zayn just stared back at him. "What?"   
  
Liam sighed. Glancing back and forth between Zayn and Isabel, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop them. Even though he was worried about his friend, he couldn't do anything to stop it. "Good luck."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"No."   
  
"Mum!" Harry exclaimed, setting down his fork. " _Please_. I want to.  _We_  want to!"   
  
"It's too dangerous." Anne said. "Honey, you know it's only because I care about you." She reached over and ruffled his hair. "You shouldn't go out until all of this is fixed." That, of course, was a hint that they needed to decide (hopefully in favor) of the ritual. And soon. Louis avoided her eyes. He could feel Gemma staring at him as well, so he glanced down at his breakfast. Normally he would be sticking up for Harry while flattering the two ladies, but he couldn't do that right now. He just... he still wasn't sure.   
  
"It's not  _going out_." Harry argued. "It's going outside. We'd stick close by and we'd stay invisible and glamoured the  _whole time_. Please? I'm practically an adult! We're not going to get abducted! You don't understand. We've been inside for days. For most of those days we didn't even have windows. I think we've earned it. We'll take a mobile with us or something. We'll be _fine_."   
  
Anne and Gemma exchanged a glance. Maybe they were sending telepathic messages to each other - Louis had no idea. But then Anne sighed and relented. "Fine. But you  _will_  take a phone, and you  _will_  check in with me every five minutes. And you will not stay out for hours. An hour  _maximum_. Then we have to talk about the ritual. All of us."   
  
Again, Louis looked away. He knew it didn't look too good, but his only other choice was to give them an unsure smile. They'd be able to read him like a book if he did that. He was pretty sure Harry already knew what he was thinking.   
  
"Deal!" Harry said excitedly, flashing her a wide grin.   
  
After they ate and Anne gave them a cheap, spare phone, Harry pulled Louis toward the front door. Just in front of the entrance he took Louis' hand and closed his eyes. Louis watched Harry as he concentrated for a few seconds. Then his eyes popped open and he smiled.   
  
"You don't look any different." Louis told him.   
  
"We look the same to each other, and we can see each other when we're invisible," Harry told him, "Though you know the second part. But we actually just look like randoms from I saw on the street once. I just picked people I remembered. I made you look like a girl."   
  
"So if other invisible people see us..."   
  
"You'll look like a girl."   
  
Louis glared at him, but Harry just laughed and told him it was payback for the marker earlier. Then he called out and announced they were leaving. Anne gave some sort of acknowledgement and that was enough for Harry. He grabbed Louis hand and pulled him out the door.   
  
  
  
Harry decided to start with something safe.   
  
"Since you know all about other supernaturals, do you know whether or not some kinds exist? You've said shapeshifters and fairies do, but what about others?"   
  
Louis glanced over at him from the side and smirked. "Others like what?"   
  
Harry shrugged. He hadn't given it  _that_  much thought, because he hadn't really had the time. When they were locked up in the room, Harry had been focusing either on getting out of there, having sex, or saving Louis' life. But last night he'd had a dream about a gathering of supernatural creatures. They'd all been having some kind of party, and Harry had been invited. On the invitation, there had been a very clear  _No Humans Allowed_  order. His dream self had gone to the party and had a good time, but something had been missing.  _Louis_  had been missing. "Well," he finally said, "I dunno. Zombies?"   
  
Louis snorted. "No."   
  
"Demons?"   
  
"Ehh. Not in the way you'd imagine them."   
  
"Wow. Cyclops?"   
  
"That's just mythology." Louis told him. "No sirens either." Harry stared at Louis, impressed that he actually knew about this stuff. But then again, there was a lot about Louis he didn't really know. Sure, he knew  _a lot_  about him, but he and Louis both had double lives and they were still getting to know these new sides of each other.   
  
"No sirens. Okay. What about mermaids?"   
  
"Mmhmm. Actually, they do."   
  
" _What_?" Harry asked, turning to him, intrigued. "Are you serious?"   
  
"Why?" asked Louis. He was still smirking. "You gonna leave me for a mermaid, Styles?"   
  
"You never know. Fins and scales are  _so_  hot." Harry reinforced his point by rolling his eyes. He took out the phone and texted his mum, assuring her that they were safe. Then he turned to Louis as they kept walking. "Hey, Louis? Have you given any more thought to that ritual?"   
  
Louis was quiet. Then he said, "I... don't know."  
  
He had known. Of course he had known. Harry knew how Louis felt about certain aspects of magic. Still, he couldn't help but say, "I kind of want to."   
  
"I know."   
  
"It's the only way." Harry insisted. "There isn't another way to stop PAUSE from hurting other people."   
  
Louis shook his head. "I don't know if I can do it. PAUSE is here one minute and then they're gone? Nobody except the people involved remember? I can't really live with that, Harry. I can't look people I know in the eyes and think, 'Oh you used to kill people! But it's okay, you forgot you did it.'"   
  
Harry groaned. Maybe it was because he had become used to mind control over the past four years (not that he did it much, just when he'd saved Louis from Isabel, really), that it felt like Louis was being impossible. "How else do we stop them, then? Got any ideas, genius?"   
  
Louis spun around to face him. He actually looked upset. "Don't even. Don't talk to me like that. I'm just trying to figure out what's right, and you're-"   
  
" _Saving people's lives_  is what's right." Harry replied, glaring. "I don't care if people forget PAUSE. As far as I'm concerned, it's a good thing." Then, suddenly, he rewound the conversation in his head and realized what he'd just said a few seconds ago. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that to you. The genius thing."   
  
Louis shrugged. "It's fine."   
  
"It's not. It's just- I'm freaked. I don't know what to do. I want to save everyone. I want to get back to our lives."   
  
"Don't you think  _I_  do? But you're just wiping an event from history. It's not even a proper erasing of it because it  _still happened_. If we could stop it from happening in the first place, it would be different."   
  
Harry stopped walking then and considered what Louis had just said. Stop it from happening...?   
  
They could.   
  
He'd learned next to nothing about coven magic before all this happened, but he had read a few things in his book of charms. It had given some hints about what he had to look forward to. He wasn't sure why he hadn't thought of it before.   
  
He rushed forward and planted a kiss on Louis' lips. "You're  _brilliant._ "   
  
"I know. Wait. Why?" Louis asked, looking genuinely confused.   
  
"If I had a power, what power would I choose?" Harry hinted with a mischievous grin.   
  
Louis raised his eyebrows. "Uh, you're a witch, remember?"   
  
"Think."   
  
It only took Louis a few moments before he looked Harry square in the eye again. He understood. "You have got to be kidding."   
  
"Nope."   
  
"Harry, we're singers. Yeah, you're a witch, but we're  _singers_. We don't... We were only going to stand there, but-"   
  
"We may be singers," Harry said, smiling. He was fully aware there would be consequences to this. But somehow it seemed more moral than just erasing people's memories and he knew that he would be able to get Louis to agree to it. "But we're going to change the world."   
  
  
  
"When was PAUSE formed?"   
  
Louis thought hard. Damn. History had never been his subject. But this had been drilled into him since he was a kid. He was better at PAUSE history than he had been in school, though it was because if he didn't know PAUSE history well enough, he wouldn't have been able to become a tagger. He wondered if that would have been a blessing in disguise. "1901. It was formed by Adrian's great-grandfather. His name was Charles Smith."   
  
"Okay," Harry said as he pushed open the door to the ritual room. It was busy with activity. He waved his hands, and then one by one people began to see them. He said, "Change of plans. We're going to do a new ritual."   
  
Anne stood up from where she sat on the floor. In front of her was a spell book. Other coven members followed her lead as she asked, "What?"   
  
"We're not going to erase PAUSE from everyone's minds." Harry said. "But we would like for you to send us back to the year 1900 so that we can stop it from existing in the first place."   
  
All around the room, coven members blinked at each other, and then at Harry.   
  
"Harry, that's more dangerous than just erasing memories." one coven member said. "You're not messing with just memories, but you don't know what would happen if you did that. You don't know if people you know would be  _born_. For example, you don't know if Louis here would be born."   
  
"My parents didn't meet through PAUSE." Louis said quietly. "I'd still exist." As far as he knew, none of his family members had met through the organization either. He knew there was no 100% guarantee, but he was pretty sure and willing to risk it.   
  
"At least if you do the ritual, you would still have the life you have now.You would be a band. You don't know if you'd have to work your way back up to it if you went back in time." Gemma said. "You seemed okay with the ritual before, what's the deal, H?"   
  
Before Harry could speak, Louis blurted out. "It's my fault. I'm uncomfortable with the ritual, but I still want to fix everything."   
  
Harry glanced at Louis, and despite the fact that they were in a room full of people, grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Louis just concentrated on Harry, because suddenly he felt embarrassed that he'd just said that to the coven. Announcing to a room full of witches that you disagree with their magic... Louis flushed. Maybe there was no right answer to this. If something happened and they managed to get rid of Adrian, someone else would take over PAUSE. If they erased people's memories, everything still would have happened. If they went back in time, they might not be a band anymore. If Louis and Harry took care of this and then came back to 2011, would they even remember everything? If it hadn't all happened, they probably wouldn't. But... people who had suffered at the hands of PAUSE would still be alive. He had to admit it seemed like a better solution, and worth it.   
  
Plus, Louis kind of believed that if changing time split up him and Harry, as well as the other lads, they'd find each other again. They were  _meant_  to be a band.   
  
But... no. The coven wasn't going to let that happen. Which meant the only option actually  _was_  to erase PAUSE.   
  
"Louis-" a coven member began.  
  
"It's alright." Louis interrupted. "I'll do it. The ritual. The original one. I'll do it."   
  
Now Harry looked concerned. "You don't want to do it."   
  
"But you do." Louis said, in almost a whisper. As much as he didn't want to, it was the only thing they could do.   
  
"When should we do it then?" a man asked, coming forward. "Midnight?"   
  
"Yes," Anne said, looking at Harry and Louis. Her expression was unreadable. "Midnight."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Liam stood between Niall and Isabel as Zayn sauntered up to Adrian's front door. As they had discussed the logistics of the plan, Liam had grown more and more wary of it. Something about this was off. Something about this was  _wrong_.   
  
Zayn was quiet. Liam had to give him that. It was a good thing, since they were all invisible. Though they all knew that Adrian probably had his house magic neutralized, like the PAUSE building.   
  
It still felt all wrong.   
  
He glanced at Niall to see if he felt it as well, but Niall was just staring after Zayn in shock. The boy still could not believe Zayn had volunteered for this, and he probably wouldn't get over it for months. He would probably be going on and on about it, and they would have to sit him down and make sure he knew not to blab it to anyone. Knowing Niall, he would be Skyping with Sean and blurt something out. But for some reason, Liam smiled at that. Niall's red face when he realized he did these things was always kind of cute.   
  
 _Wow_ , he thought. He had finally kind of accepted the gay(ish) thing. He grinned wider.   
  
Until Zayn managed to open Adrian's front door.   
  
Everything suddenly seemed like it was in slow motion. Liam's eyes darted everywhere. The door. The mailbox.   
  
The upstairs window.   
  
There was some sort of gun pointing out the window. It was a special gun. There was something sharp and wooden pointing out the end. Liam took a step closer. "Guys," he whispered. "Move."   
  
Isabel had super keen senses, so she detected what it was right away. She pulled Niall, who still didn't know what was going on, away quickly. Liam moved as well, just before the wooden stake came flying toward them. Luckily, Zayn noticed and ran out of the house fast. All four of them ran down the street as fast as they could before ducking into an alley.  
  
"I knew it was too easy." Isabel said flatly. She was the only one who didn't have to catch her breath. She didn't really breathe, after all.   
  
"You could have been killed!" Liam exclaimed at her. "You could have been staked, and you sound  _bored_? What is  _wrong_  with you?"   
  
"You could have been killed as well," Isabel replied. "Those stakes have poison on them. It would have killed any of us. Or hurt us, at least." Still, she sounded determined. Over the past few days, Liam had grown to recognize the different tones in her voice, and he  _knew_  she wasn't going to give up. He also knew, considering her mesmerizing effect on Zayn, that he was going to go along with whatever she said.   
  
Liam and Niall exchanged a look that said it all. What had they gotten themselves into?   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
At 11:50pm, Harry and Louis emerged from the room they were staying in, only to be ushered back in. It all happened so fast, but they looked up and saw Anne and Gemma standing there with a spellbook. Harry and Louis stared at them. "Uh, guys? What's up?"   
  
"Let's get this over with before I change my mind." Anne said determinedly. Gemma nodded, flipping through the spellbook, finding a marked off page.   
  
"Get what over with?" Louis asked, confused. "The ritual?"   
  
"We're sending you back to 1900." Gemma said, glancing at the both of them with a weird look, as if she couldn't believe that they were doing this. Louis couldn't believe it either. After all, he and Louis were the ones most likely to get in trouble for shenanigans wherever they went. And now they were going to stop a huge organization from ever existing? "It only takes two of us to do it, so stand there, and make sure you're touching. Not that that should be a problem anyway." Despite everything, she smirked.   
  
"Wait, when will we get back here? What about our clothes?" Harry asked.   
  
"You'll come back automatically when you've completed the task. Either that or use a mercy charm, that should contact us and we can pull you back. Your clothes will change when you appear in 1900. You know where Charles Smith lived? The general area?" Anne asked Louis. Louis nodded. He'd learned that in PAUSE history as well. "Alright, then that's all you need. You'll be fine, boys. Really."   
  
Harry grabbed onto Louis's arm as his mum and sister began a small circle of their own, calling each element. Louis gaped at them as they circled around, waving their arms, chanting in a foreign language he had never heard before. He couldn't believe that Harry was going to do this stuff when he joined the coven. That was his last thought before it happened.   
  
It felt like they were falling. Louis closed his eyes, but he held Harry considerably tighter than he had a moment ago. The falling feeling persisted, and Louis began to feel dizzy. He was going to lose his balance any minute and bring Harry down with him. He wondered, if he were to open his eyes, what it would look like around them. Would he get so dizzy that he would be sick? Would Harry?   
  
What were they even thinking. Messing with  _time_? Those were their only two options - time or memory? When had everything turned to shit? They were  _singers_.  _They_  didn't change history. They-  
  
And then the falling feeling stopped.   
  
Louis was afraid to open his eyes. But he had to, because there was something on his head.   
  
When he finally did open his eyes, he and Harry were outside. It was dark, but they were on the street. It was lit up, but.... he could immediately tell Anne and Gemma's spell had worked. They were in the year 1900. Holy shit.   
  
Then he turned to Harry. They took one look at each other and burst out laughing.   
  
They were both dressed, head to toe, in clothes from the year 1900.   
  
"Nice bowler hat." Harry quipped, reaching out to give the hat on Louis' head a tug. A bowler hat? That probably wasn't age appropriate at all. Louis took the hat off and looked down the rest of his own outfit. God, trousers from the past were so  _weird_. And what even was this jacket he was wearing? And the  _shoes_.  _God_. He'd always dressed a little...  _eccentrically_  on occasion, but _this_.   
  
Harry was wearing a variation of the same thing, however. Louis back looked up into his eyes and smirked. "Nice boots."   
  
"At least you're wearing a coat." Harry shot back, grinning. "We both know how rare that is."   
  
And how  _wrong_  was it that even though Harry was dressed in clothes from 1900 that he still looked attractive? Louis partially blamed that on the fact that they had barely done anything together in days, since he'd gotten sick, so he was constantly horny, but also just because it was  _Harry_. Now that he'd acknowledged how he felt, he couldn't ignore it. He couldn't just  _not_ stare at Harry. The moment they got back to their regular lives, if they did, he was doomed. Even if they said they weren't together, it would be obvious that they were.   
  
"Where are we supposed to go?" Louis wondered aloud. "It must be close to midnight, same as the future. Right?"   
  
Harry shrugged, looking around. Probably for an indicator of where they were and what time it was. Louis knew where they were. They were in London. Harry shoved his hands into his pockets and then his eyes opened wide, pulling out a wallet and a pocket watch.   
  
First, he checked the time. It was definitely midnight. Five minutes after, to be exact. Then, in the wallet, the both found money and a note.   
  
 _Boys, go to the address at the bottom of this paper. This is where you will stay. Someone will greet you at the door. Give her this paper.  
  
And since you are you, you should probably be told not to spend all the money in one place. It may seem like a lot right now, but you don't know how much time will pass or how many expenses you will have.   
  
As a reminder, if you do use the mercy charm, we'll hear you.   
  
Good luck, boys. x_   
  
Harry pursed his lips and then his eyes met Louis'.   
  
"What's the mercy charm?" Louis had to ask. He'd sort of wondered that since Anne mentioned it the first time, but he hadn't had time to actually think about it.   
  
Harry said, "Kind of like an I-give-up spell. An SOS. But you can call for help with it wherever or whenever you are. It's kind of cool, I guess. I had to learn how to do it, but I've never actually done it for real. My mum found us a place to stay. How does she know where we are? You didn't even tell her. Do you suppose that whoever we're staying with is part of a coven?"   
  
Louis shrugged. He wasn't the one to ask. "Might be. The only way to know is to go there. Then tomorrow... I guess we'll talk to Charles."   
  
"Do you know where to go?"   
  
"Yeah. It's where the London PAUSE building is now. It was built to replace his house, which burns down in a few years." Louis explained.   
  
Harry nodded. "I guess we should get going."   
  
Together, they began to walk in the direction of the address they had been given.


	17. Chapter 17

Harry hesitated before knocking on the door. He had no idea what he was getting himself and Louis into here. They were just supposed to stay with strangers for the duration of their time travel? He just wasn't sure.   
  
"It's fine, Harry." Louis said, putting an arm around his shoulder before turning around and realizing that they were in the year 1900 and they probably shouldn't touch each other too much. It was going to be hard for Louis, because he was always all over people, guys  _and_  girls. And now that they were together, he and Louis were sure to be even more over the top. But they had to try not to be.   
  
Finally, Harry swallowed his nerves and used the door knocker. He knocked three times, and figured it was enough because it was loud. But then he remembered it was after midnight and knocked some more.   
  
They stood silently until the door opened, and an older couple stood at the door, smiling at them. They were wearing night clothes, and didn't seem to care at all that they were opening the door like that. Louis could tell immediately that they were a little eccentric.   
  
Louis stole a glance at Harry and saw his eyes were wide with recognition.   
  
"Hello, boys. We've been expecting you." said the man, still smiling.   
  
"Aunt Dee? Uncle Chris?" Harry asked. Louis was sure that now  _he_  was the one who was wide-eyed. Harry was  _related_  to them? "What are you doing here?"   
  
  
  
  
"As you can guess we're not actually in America." Aunt Dee said, pouring Harry and Louis some tea (without caffeine, Aunt Dee said). They all sat at the kitchen table, and Louis couldn't get the confused look off of his face. Harry was considerably less confused, but still puzzled. Dee and Chris weren't actually Harry's aunt and uncle. They were actually his grandparents' cousins, but in magic families, everyone felt related anyway. What  _Harry_  was confused about was the fact that Dee and Chris said they stayed in Florida each winter, and yet here they were.   
  
"Apparently not." Harry said. He shoved the paper from his mum across the table to the two adults. "Mum said this is for you."   
  
Chris and Dee read it, and then looked at each other, sending each other some sort of silent message. Finally, Dee glanced back at Louis and Harry. "We should probably explain."   
  
"We don't go to Florida every year. We come back here." Uncle Chris said. He looked at Louis. "And we're not actually Harry's aunt and uncle. We're related by distance, but we're still family."  
  
"What do you mean, you come back here? To 1900?" Harry asked.   
  
"Heavens, no." Dee said, sipping her own tea. "If we did that, there would be several version of Chris and me running around all over London. No, we come back year  _after_  year. Last year we came back, and it was 1899. Next year when we come back, it'll be 1901."   
  
"You just, like, go on holiday to the past?" Louis blurted out. "Like, why not some time that something cool is happening? Like the Renaissance. Or Ancient Rome."   
  
"The further back you go, the worse the consequences are. If you stay within 150 years of your actual timeline, you're fine. But the wear and tear begins when you go any further than that." Dee said. "You can go see that stuff for a day if you like, but longer than that could make you sick. It's possible to go so far back that you die. Though that's not why we're here. This is a house that no longer exists in London in 2011. It's safe from dangers, and it has magical properties."   
  
"Why doesn't it exist in 2011?" Harry asked, though he was afraid to.   
  
Uncle Chris grinned. "We moved it." he replied cryptically. "But right now, Dee and I guard it. For the winter, at least. Others stay here during the spring and summer."   
  
"You guard the house." said Harry. He looked around. It just looked like an ordinary old house to him, but he knew appearances could be deceiving.  _Especially_  if it was a house with magical properties.   
  
"We do." Dee said. "Now, tell us why  _you_  are here."   
  
"We're here to stop PAUSE from being formed." Harry said. "We found out some of their members are killing supernaturals. And stealing magic."   
  
Now Dee and Chris were the ones with wide eyes. Harry figured he was on a roll, so he continued.   
  
"They trapped Louis and me in a room that took our magic and made us ill." he told them.   
  
Louis then added, "It's my fault. I was a member PAUSE as a tagger. I was supposed to tag Harry, but I couldn't. I couldn't be in PAUSE anymore when I learned about what was going on."   
  
"Dear god." Dee said. She looked positively horrified, and Harry actually felt bad for disturbing her so much, even though he knew both she and Chris needed to know why they were there. "Definitely do what you need to while you're here. Just remember, boys, it's 1900. When you do what you need to do, make sure you act like you're from the year 1900... what  _do_  you need to do?"   
  
"We have to talk to Charles Smith. I know it's probably a common name,but do you know him?" Louis asked.   
  
"Charles?" Chris said. Somehow he didn't seem surprised that Louis had said that. "We know him. He lives right down the street. Go talk to him tomorrow. Do what you need to do." Dee nodded in agreement.   
  
Harry couldn't believe that they had that much faith in him and Louis. But then again, maybe they knew something he didn't. That was always a possibility with their kind, especially ones in covens.   
  
Dee stood. "I'll show you where you'll be staying. There are some things for you to wear in the guest room."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
The guest room was modest, though the house itself was really nice. When they entered, Harry didn't even mind the tiny twin beds. He realized he was actually quite tired; he'd had no idea that time travel did that to someone. He stole a few glances at Louis and saw that he could barely keep his eyes open now. The effects of time travel were  _finally_  catching up with them.   
  
Aunt Dee and Uncle Chris said they would get the boys up in the morning and bid them good night. After using the bathroom, Harry sat on one of the twin beds. It was slightly uncomfortable and considered changing it into something nicer. He'd just changed his clothes and was now waiting for Louis to come back into the room. When he did, Harry couldn't help but smile. If they'd thought their  _day clothes_  were hilarious, night clothes were even funnier. Harry preferred to sleep naked or just in boxers or something like that, but he knew their gracious hosts could come into the room whenever they wanted. Not that they wouldn't give them a little privacy, but really, who knew?   
  
Harry got under the covers and closed his eyes as Louis began to walk toward his own twin bed. But then when Harry felt a pair of lips on his own, he opened his eyes again. It was only a quick kiss, but gazing up at a very sleepy Louis grinning goofily, he wished it had been longer. He wished he could have reached up and pulled Louis into the bed with him. But no... not right here, and not right now.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
 _In 2011..._.   
  
  
Liam woke up alone.   
  
He didn't expect to. Because he had gone to sleep next to Niall in Isabel's flat. They had spent the rest of yesterday strategizing, and had come up with absolutely nothing. They had all gone to bed, annoyed. Isabel was in her own room, Zayn was on the couch, and Niall and Liam had bunked in Isabel's spare room, which wasn't really another bedroom, but had a cot set up in it. They had been a little worried, sleeping in a vampire's home, but Isabel had calmed down considerably from the first time they met. Still, Liam had broken off a piece of a tree branch and slept with it under his pillow, just in case.   
  
Liam got out of bed and wandered out of the spare room. Zayn was still on the couch. He glanced toward the bathroom, and then the kitchen (which was extremely clean because Isabel didn't use it). No Niall.   
  
Where was he?   
  
He walked over to Zayn and shook him awake. "Zayny, wake up."   
  
Zayn's eyes popped open and he glared up at Liam, though Liam knew Zayn would get over it. "What?"   
  
"Have you seen Niall?"   
  
"I've been  _asleep_." Zayn reminded him. He sat up. "He's not here?"   
  
"No." Liam said, his worry growing.   
  
Just then, Isabel wandered out of her own room. Liam knew that vampires didn't really sleep, but Isabel had clearly put in the effort anyway, leaving him to wonder if she liked Zayn as much as he liked her. She was wearing a short, silk nightie, and even though her hair was a mess, she still looked hot. When Zayn saw her, he practically began salivating. Isabel smirked knowingly. "Where's the other one?" she asked, meaning she didn't know where Niall was either.   
  
"Not here," Liam said helplessly. He looked at his phone and saw that there were no messages from Niall. There were, however, a  _ton_  of missed calls and texts from Louis' mum and their management, as well as friends and family who wanted to know where they were.   
  
She rolled her eyes just as  _her_  phone rang. She picked it up from the table where it lay and said, "The number is blocked. Weird." When she answered, she listened for a few moments, her eyes growing wider. Liam had never seen Isabel look too scared, but she certainly looked rattled right now. She took the phone from her ear and pressed a button. "You're on speaker now." She looked up at Liam and Zayn. "It's Adrian."   
  
"Hello, Zayn. Hello, Liam." Adrian said. He sounded cheerful, and yet there was something  _slimy_  about his voice. Just hearing it made Liam want to take a shower. And then he realized that he hadn't greeted Niall. Which meant he knew Niall was missing. Liam looked at Zayn, horrified.   
  
Zayn frowned at the phone. "Where the fuck is our friend?"   
  
"Zayn, don't speak to your elders that way." Adrian chastised, sounding amused. "I want you all to meet me at the little restaurant down the street. Isabel, you know which one."   
  
"Seriously? We're not stupid." Zayn replied, though considering Zayn had broken into that house for Isabel, Liam wasn't quite sure. "We're not going to meet you."   
  
"It's a public place." Adrian said. "And you  _will_  meet me."   
  
"How do you know that?" Liam asked. He knew the answer before the last word was out of his mouth.   
  
"You will, if you want your friend Niall to live."   
  
Liam felt sick and looked back at Zayn in horror.   
  
Then they heard Niall's voice on speaker. "Guys? Guys. Help. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just wanted to get breakfast for us. I'm sorry. Shit. I'm  _sorry_. Please help me."   
  
Oh  _shit_. Liam started shaking. Adrian had taken Niall.  _Niall_  of all people. Though he'd taken Louis and Harry as well, so it shouldn't have surprised Liam that he had no qualms about taking another one of them. But Niall didn't have any magic powers. Adrian was just keeping Niall hostage so that he could meet with all of them.   
  
"You have fifteen minutes." Adrian said, and then hung up.   
  
  
  
Ten and a half minutes later, Isabel, Liam, and Zayn walked through the door of the restaurant. Liam spotted a man he assumed was Adrian sitting in a booth next to a very terrified Niall. It took all of his strength not to run over to Niall, jump across the table, and hug him close. Liam glanced around the restaurant. No wonder Adrian had said to meet them here. It was full of old people. Some looked at them and might have recognized them, but otherwise they were safe enough. It had also been a really short distance from Isabel's flat as well, and since it was early they hadn't really run into anyone.   
  
Adrian waved them over, grinning as if they were all there willingly. Liam glared at him instead meeting Niall's eyes.  _It'll be okay_ , he mouthed. Niall nodded, putting on a brave face. But his eyes revealed just how scared he was. Liam, Zayn, and Isabel sat down in the booth across from Adrian. They waited for the waitress to bring them some tea and coffee (and nothing for Isabel, obviously), before Liam said, "Why are we here? Why did you take our friend?"   
  
"Where are your other friends?" Adrian asked, narrowing his eyes. "I know they're gone, and I know how. The PAUSE members involved will be punished accordingly. And so will all of you, if you don't tell me where Harry and Louis are." he said, "And do feel free to go into detail. No one can hear us," he added, alluding to magic that he had probably stolen.  
  
"Fuck you." Isabel said, before Zayn or Liam could say anything. It was quite a sight, watching the two of them glare at each other.   
  
Adrian sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a tiny piece of wood. It looked like bullet, but just a bit bigger. Isabel's glare changed to shock. "Don't underestimate me, Isabel" he said. "The only reason I'm not tagging or staking you right now is because I already have you in my grasp. The price of getting tangled in human affairs." he sneered at her.   
  
"They're not just  _human affairs_ ," Zayn said bravely. "You're hurting people. You hurt Louis and Harry. You're not going to get away with this."   
  
"Where are they?" Adrian demanded, impatient. "You'll tell me, unless you want a story leaked to the tabloids that you break into people's houses. That was stupid of you. But I suppose it's what I expect of teenagers." He looked at Isabel. "And, yes, even you count as one even though you're a bloodsucker."   
  
Liam looked at Isabel just in time to see her eyes glowing red. It was only a matter of time before her fangs came out. Zayn put an arm around her and whispered something in her ear that Liam couldn't hear, and miraculously, Isabel's eyes returned to normal.   
  
"We don't know." Isabel told Adrian with an edge to her voice. "We haven't heard from them since they escaped."   
  
"Where were they when you heard from them?" he asked, calmer now that they were providing some answers (as unhelpful as they were).   
  
"We don't know." Isabel said again. A little too quickly.   
  
Adrian raised his eyebrows. He didn't believe her. He held up the wooden bullet, reminding her of the danger she was in. "Try again."   
  
After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again. "They were with Harry's coven." Isabel finally admitted. "But they probably aren't now. Okay?" Liam tried his best not to glare at her. He understood she was torn. Adrian could kill her here if he wanted to, and the bastard probably had some sort of plan to do it and escape without getting caught.   
  
"And where is this coven located?" Adrian asked. And then he sat up straight, like a light bulb went off in his head. "Oh! Silly me. I can trace the trail of magic if they transported out. Did you know, children, that we have the ability to do that? If we take a little magic, that is. We can use a little to trace it. It took awhile to perfect, and only coven witch magic can trace it. But long story short, I'm going to find them." He smirked. Somehow, Liam realized this was Adrian's plan all along. He was going to tell them what exactly he intended to do, and he had been intending to do this since he found out Harry and Louis had escaped. "I'm going to find that coven. So whatever you kids are trying to do, I suggest you stop. You've already lost."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
 _In 1900..._    
  
  
In the morning, Harry woke to a knock on the door. "Boys! Breakfast is ready!" Dee's voice sounded quite loud through the door. Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes before looking over to check on Louis, just in case. He realized that was probably going to be a habit now. Louis had slept right through their wake-up call. Either that, or he was ignoring her, just like he did with his alarm clock all the time.   
  
Harry got out of his own bed and sat on the edge of Louis' poking him on the nose. "Wake up, dude." Louis groaned and turned into his pillow, but Harry intercepted, taking Louis by the shoulders and turning him back around again. "No you don't. We have places to go and people to save."   
  
Louis eyes opened and he sat up instantly, looking around. "Oh shit, I thought it was a  _dream_." This eyes met Harry's. "So we're really in 1900."   
  
"We really are."   
  
Louis nodded and then pushed aside his blanket. "I'm just gonna splash water on my face or something and then we'll eat breakfast?"   
  
Harry said, "Yeah, sounds good."   
  
Louis stared at him, making no move to actually  _leave_  the room. Harry blinked at Louis, wondering how long they would actually have to be here. Because it was hard to look at Louis without jumping on him, even  _now_ , after he'd just woken up.   
  
Harry knew that he would have to take the initiative, so he stood and held his hands out to Louis, helping him out of bed even though he didn't actually  _need_  help. Louis stumbled sleepily out of the room to the tiny, old fashioned bathroom that Harry knew they were actually quite lucky to have. They cleaned their faces and peed, and Harry dressed them in century-appropriate clothes with his magic before heading down to the kitchen.   
  
Breakfast, it turned out, was just oatmeal. But Harry and Louis were both starving so they gobbled it down as Dee washed the dishes she and Chris had already used that morning.   
  
"Boys, I have to let you know. Chris and I are going to be gone until the evening." Dee said. "We're actually meeting with some friends that we don't see too often. They live far away. So you should expect us back by seven."   
  
Harry nodded. Hopefully by seven they would have already talked to Charles and they would come back just in time to say goodbye to Dee and Chris.  _If_  they weren't magically brought back before that.   
  
Dee handed Harry a slip of paper. "This is the address of the Smith residence. You can find it, right?"   
  
Harry nodded again. He was good with direction. After all, he'd been able to track down Louis before Isabel made him her dinner. Finding Charles' house wouldn't be a problem.   
  
They set out a few minutes after Dee and Chris lent them a key to their house and left to go see their friends. They had been right. Charles lived nearby, and finding his house turned out to be easy. It was one of the bigger houses they had both seen in their short time in 1900, and it seemed to just  _fit_. Not that they had any idea what Charles was like. After all,  _how_  did Dee and Chris know him? Did he know what they were?   
  
They stood on the opposite side of the street, staring at the house. It looked dark inside, like no one was there.   
  
"Should we knock?" Louis asked Harry.   
  
Harry nodded. He and Louis walked across the street and they did exactly that. And then a few seconds later, they knocked again, louder.   
  
Then the door opened and a middle-aged man stood there, glaring at them. Harry guessed they had been louder than they should have when they knocked, or perhaps they knocked too much. "Can I help you?"   
  
"Uh, yes." Harry said. "Um... are you Charles Smith?"   
  
"I am not." the man replied. "I work for him. But he isn't here. He will be back tomorrow, by noon at the latest."   
  
Harry groaned inwardly, and one look at Louis told him that  _he_  was doing the same. Now they had to spend an extra day in the past. That was a whole extra day of not getting back to their normal lives, performing for crowds, singing with their mates, meeting fans. He wondered what the fans actually thought they were up to. Especially since that tabloid story about them had been published. Harry didn't even know how long ago that was now. He hoped that they didn't survive this thing just to get "killed" by Simon.   
  
"When he comes back, we need to speak with him. Our names are Harry... Payne and Louis... Portman." Louis said, giving the man a prizewinning smile. Harry tried not to laugh.  _Portman_? Yeah,  _sure_. "It's just about some business stuff. Uh, things, I mean. Things. We'll be back to explain this all to him anyway. Nice meeting you! Come on, Louis," Louis said, pulling Harry's arm. _Oh,_  Harry thought. So  _he_  was supposed to be Louis.   
  
As they walked away, Harry hissed in Louis ear, amused, "Portman? Seriously?"   
  
Louis smirked at him. "Well, if I can't say one of  _our_  last names, it's the next best thing."   
  
"Careful what you say, or you won't be getting laid for... for  _hours_... or  _days_." Harry threatened. He actually wasn't that jealous, but he enjoyed the mock-worried look on Louis' face, and if they weren't in 1900, he would kiss him right there. Well, then again, they couldn't kiss in public in 2011 either. Still, either way, he was tempted.   
  
They spent the rest of the morning sight-seeing, just walking around and seeing how people lived. They looked in different shops and, though they didn't buy anything, had fun. Louis tried on a ton of hats in one shop, and some of them were women's hats. Shopkeepers must have thought they were insane. Finally, they headed back to Uncle Chris and Aunt Dee's house for lunch. They found some soup and bread and sat at the kitchen table together.  
  
"Should we risk trying to heat it up?" Louis asked, eyeing the soup. "It seems cold."   
  
Harry shook his head, and then with his right pointer finger, he tapped the bowl of soup, heating it up. At that, Louis looked up and grinned at him.   
  
"So we have to stay till tomorrow at least." Harry said, tearing off a piece of his bread. "I really hope Simon doesn't kill us after all this."   
  
"Yeah, me too." Louis said. "Well, all the press when we come back should make up for the fact that we disappeared, right?"   
  
Harry replied, "Let's hope so."   
  
They ate in silence, though sometimes Louis made a ridiculous face and Harry had to laugh. When they finished, they cleaned up their dishes like good house guests and then decided to explore the house, because they didn't really have much else to do until that evening. Also because the house was  _apparently_  magical, even though it looked normal to Harry, despite having a few conveniences from the future.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
The first place they went was the guest room. It looked nicer during the day than at night, and a first glance around told them that it was just an ordinary room. Though it was entirely possible that it wasn't. Louis wasn't sure exactly, but he could  _feel_  the magic in the walls of this house. It was probably because he still had bits of the elements in him, so he was extra sensitive to things like that.   
  
The house had a tiny library, but it was full of normal books, mostly classics. Harry said something about the "good stuff" being hidden, and Louis had to agree. There had to be  _something_ around if this house was magical.   
  
And they found it in the upstairs hallway.   
  
They were just standing there, trying to decide which room to explore next, when a door appeared on the wall, though it hadn't been there before. Louis stole a glance to his side. Was he going crazy? Was that an effect of the time travel? Or... was that part of the magic inside the house?   
  
"Uh, Harry..." Louis gestured toward the door. Harry looked over and his eyes widened.   
  
"That door wasn't there a minute ago, I'm pretty sure." Harry said, ogling the wall. "There wasn't a door, and then there  _was_  a door."   
  
Louis nodded, so glad that he was with Harry right now. That door had appeared out of nowhere, and he wasn't sure whether he should run away from it or see where the door actually led. When it became clear that Harry wanted to do the latter, as he began to walk toward the doorway, Louis stood still for a moment before following the younger boy. No way was he going to let Harry do this alone.   
  
Harry twisted the doorknob and there was a creaking sound as the door opened. Louis looked into the... was that an actual  _room_? There was a tiny circular window on the wall of the room and sunlight poured through it. Luckily it was kind of sunny outside, so the room was quite light. It was easy to see.   
  
They walked in together, shutting the door behind them, and got a much better look at the room. It was kind of like a sensory overload for Louis. It smelled so  _old_  in there. Kind of like dust, and something else. Looking around, he found a small bookcase and he knew what the smell was. Old books.  _Ancient_  books.   
  
There was also a small couch, which didn't look nearly as old as the books, though Louis figured it still had to be an antique or something. Other than that, the room was full of wooden boxes and trunks.   
  
"Weird." Harry said quietly. He approached one of the wooden boxes and looked inside. " _Oh_. It's magic stuff."   
  
"Magic stuff?" Louis asked, suddenly much more intrigued. He followed Harry and saw what he was talking about. The box Harry was looking at had ritual robes in it. Witches didn't really use them anymore in the 21st century, but supposedly they'd been a big deal way back when.   
  
In another box, they found assorted crystals and a knife. Well, an  _athame_ , as Harry called it. Louis was actually quite impressed by the extent of Harry's knowledge. He rattled off the names of gems and crystals like he'd been born with that knowledge. It was a side of Harry that Louis hadn't really known for a year, and it made him smile, even if he was just talking about magic rocks.   
  
"It's stuff that's used in rituals, the crystals and the athame." Harry said. Louis knew that, and nodded. "It's... it's our coven's stuff. I recognize it."   
  
"How could you recognize it? You're not in the coven yet." Louis replied, confused.   
  
Harry looked at him pointedly. "The star symbol on the athame. That's the symbol of the coven I'm going to join. Every coven has a different star symbol, and that's Cheshire's."   
  
Louis nodded thoughtfully. Then why was that stuff here? Though... maybe since time travel was more common than they had thought, these ritual tools weren't actually from 1900. Maybe they were from some other year, maybe even the year 2100. He suggested that to Harry, who seemed to agree.   
  
"So are those books spellbooks?" Louis asked, gesturing to the book case.   
  
"Only one way to find out." Harry said. He knelt down in front of the book case and grabbed a few of the books. Louis tried his very best not to stare, but he really couldn't help himself. These 1900 clothes looked amazing on Harry, even though that was something he wasn't sure he would admit under other circumstances. He mostly just wanted to take them off of him, though. He sucked in his breath when Harry spread out his legs and placed the books between them. How was he supposed to deal with this right now?   
  
Harry looked up and smiled innocently at him like he had no idea.

Harry flipped through one of the books. It wasn't a book of spells or charms. It was more like an instruction manual and guide to using crystals and other magic items. Still, Harry was amused by the old English it was written in and kept reading. When he reached the end of that book, he looked up and saw Louis looking through more of the boxes. He seemed to be amusing himself with all of the ritual robes, so Harry put the book he'd just read back in the book case and looked at the other one he'd taken out.   
  
Immediately, his first thought was that it was useless. It was a plain book with a black cover. The spine of the book had no title on it, and when he opened it up in the middle, he found that the book was written in another language. It wasn't even in a modern language, either. It was Astairnian, an old language their kind had used to communicate with each other during the times people would hunt witches. Not that the people who had burned "witches" at the stake or hung them usually killed real witches. Usually they were just normal people being accused of using magic. Harry frowned, thinking about it, and stared at the book some more.   
  
He flipped through the pages and found it was  _all_  in Astairnian. Useless. But for some reason, he had to keep looking. It felt necessary.   
  
Then he stopped on a page. He wasn't sure why, but some of the words caught his eye. Not that he could  _read_  them. He stared at the words for a long moment and eventually his vision began to blur. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them a few seconds later, the words were in English.   
  
 _Call them forth. The spirits will hear you._    
  
"What?" Harry whispered to himself. They was instructions for a charm, he realized. Something about spirits, obviously, but Harry wasn't sure beyond that. Everything else was still in Astairnian.   
  
He stood up, and glanced at Louis. He found Louis staring back at him, looking kind of puzzled. "What's up, Haz?"   
  
Harry shook his head. "I think this is an ancient spellbook."   
  
Then he sat down on the couch and stared at the page again. He knew better than to ignore a coincidence. If this page was speaking to him, then there was a reason. He tried everything to get the rest of the words to translate. He closed his eyes. Blurred his vision on purpose. But nothing worked. The words that had originally translated into English changed back as well, and Harry sighed, frustrated. He turned the page, even though he felt reluctant to do so, and instantly the feeling of connection to both the page vanished.   
  
Louis walked over to the couch and sat next to Harry. "You have a weird look on your face. What's going on?" He snuck a peek at the book and then gave Harry this intense look, which Harry could tell wasn't just about what he was doing right now. "What's that language?"   
  
"Astairnian, it's an old magic language." Harry replied. "I can't read it or anything, but people like me used to be fluent." Harry glanced back down at the book again, trying to read it again anyway. He really wished he'd studied those Astarnian language books he'd gotten for his birthday that one time. They were somewhere in the back of his closet back home.   
  
"You have to stop doing that." Louis muttered quietly and Harry glanced at him again. Louis was shifting awkwardly, and despite everything, Harry smiled. Louis wasn't shifting because the couch was uncomfortable.   
  
"Doing what?"   
  
"Being so studious and professor-like and  _fit_ ," Louis replied weakly. " _God_."   
  
Harry stared at him, unable to help it. Studious and  _professor-like_? It wasn't like he was exactly school oriented. Not since going on the X Factor, at least. But then again, he supposed the amount of interest he had in this subject wasn't unlike a professor's interest in his favorite subject. And  _apparently_  Louis was into that.   
  
He smirked. "Why?"   
  
"Because," Louis breathed out. "it's hot just watching you read. And I want you this ridiculous, insane amount. So, you need to stop looking like that because I don't think I can really take it anymore."   
  
Harry knew better, but hearing Louis actually say that to him changed Harry's thought process completely. Well, not completely. He always wanted Louis, but he'd been distracting himself with all this stuff. And he really  _did_  want to solve this, figure out how to stop PAUSE. But wanting Louis was always in the back of his mind.   
  
He placed the book on the floor in front of the couch, and then turned to Louis. He reached out and pulled Louis toward him, kissing him on the mouth. Louis kissed back hard, as if he had been holding this in for much longer than a few days.   
  
Harry turned and swung his leg over Louis's lap, and then he faced him, straddling him. He took hold of Louis' face just for a moment before running his hands down Louis' sides and kissing down his neck. He tasted Louis' neck, sighing into it. Being this close to Louis filled him with a sense of relief and excitement, and right now the only thing in the world that mattered was them.  
  
He rocked his hips into Louis, smiling into Louis' neck. Louis was already really hard, and Harry was pretty close to that himself.   
  
"You know," Louis said, kissing the side of Harry's face between words, "I don't really appreciate this teasing unless you're going to fuck me." His tone indicated the opposite. Louis  _loved_  that Harry was teasing him a bit. And Harry loved doing it.   
  
Harry pulled back and grinned at him. "That might have been my plan."   
  
"Really? In here?" Louis replied, surprised. "You would?"   
  
"Mmhm," Harry said, leaning forward to kiss him again. With a wave of his hand, he tinted the one window in the room and made sure the door was locked. Then he went to work taking off Louis' clothes. Well, his patience with that lasted only a few seconds before he waved his hand again and their clothes were gone. He pointed them to the floor and Louis gasped against his mouth. Suddenly they were fully naked and pressed together, and Louis couldn't help but rock himself into Harry again.   
  
They kissed for a few more minutes, alternating between gentle and hard, though in Harry's opinion the kiss was always passionate. Then Harry nudged Louis, and Louis knew enough to lay down flat on the couch. Harry crawled over him, peppering Louis' body with kisses wherever he could. As he did that, he took hold of Louis' dick, making it wet enough to stroke. When he finally began moving his hand, Louis grasped Harry's hair. Harry lifted his face in time for Louis to plant a big kiss on his mouth.   
  
Harry wrapped his legs around one of Louis', pressing himself into Louis' thigh. Because even though he was more than happy to be giving Louis a hand job right now, he felt this desperate need to touch himself. But he couldn't as he had one hand curled around the back of Louis' neck. So he moved against Louis' leg, and even though it was a little bit of a relief, it still wasn't enough. He needed more.   
  
And Louis knew it, too. Louis took Harry's hand, the one that he was stroking Louis with, and removed it. Then, he turned slightly, exposing his arse so that Harry could prepare him. Harry made an embarrassing frustrated, turn-on sort of noise but in that moment it didn't matter. He kissed the side of Louis' neck as he prepared him, making sure he was lubed up enough, and then fingering him, a task he found that he actually  _really_  enjoyed. Louis loved it as well, it seemed, because when Harry hit the right spot, Louis began moving just a little bit, fucking Harry's finger. Harry smiled and whispered in Louis ear, "You like that, huh?"   
  
In response, Louis just groaned. "I'm not being too obvious, am I?"   
  
"Not at all." Harry replied, removing his finger. Then he positioned himself the best he could, and entered Louis, burying his face into Louis' arm.  _God_. It wasn't like Louis was as experienced as before, but he was still tight, and felt perfect around Harry's dick.   
  
Harry tried not to show it, but he wasn't nearly as confident as he had been the last few times they'd done this. After the first time, Harry had been a bit more focused on his growing worry. He _loved_  Louis, yeah, but he had to admit to himself that part of it had to do with the fact that they could make each other feel good in a situation that nothing else did. That wasn't to say he didn't want Louis after all of this was over. The opposite, actually. But this was quite different than being trapped. It wasn't the same kind of desperation as when they were trapped. This was different. But Harry didn't mind at all.   
  
"Harry,  _move_ ," Louis whined.   
  
Harry grinned and put his lips to Louis' cheek. "What's that? Hmm?"   
  
" _Move_ ," Louis repeated. Harry moved his hips once, making Louis cry out, and then stopped. Louis turned a bit to mock-glare at him. " _Harry_."   
  
Something changed then. Maybe it was the way Louis was looking at him, or the way he said Harry's name. Maybe it was because he really wanted to see Louis come. But he quickly pulled out of Louis and turned him, so that Louis was laying face up. Louis' eyes widened as Harry quickly felt around with his finger so that he could understand this new angle. To help, Louis inched upwards just a bit and spread his legs as much as he could, and soon Harry entered him again. Louis sucked in his breath as Harry began to move, and then Louis thrust his hips up.   
  
"Oh  _fuck_ ," Louis said as they moved together. " _Fuck_ ,"   
  
Harry took that to mean that he was doing something right and brought his hand around, once again taking hold of Louis' dick and stroking him as he thrust in and out. Harry was no longer embarrassed about the sounds  _he_  made, letting out whatever he needed to to make sure Louis knew what he was doing to him.   
  
Before long, it was Louis who finished first. He cried out and came all over his stomach as well as Harry's chest.   
  
Harry didn't want to make a huge mess, despite the fact that he was going to tidy up with his magic after this, but he pulled out of Louis and started stroking himself. Louis stared, wide-eyed and catching his breath for a moment. Then he wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and pulled him closer, kissing him hard.   
  
And somehow that did the trick. That kiss sent Harry right over the edge and he came all over himself and Louis. He cried out against Louis' lips and then kissed him again straight away, savoring the feeling as he came down from his high.   
  
A few moments later, Harry lay on Louis' chest when Louis said, "Thank god you're a witch. It hasn't hurt any time." Harry wasn't looking at his face, but he knew Louis was grinning like crazy.  
  
"Not to mention I can clean us up." Harry said with a chuckle. He sat up, and then waved his hand. Instantly they looked proper and presentable, and they were wearing their clothes again. Louis had had very obvious sex hair until Harry worked his magic on him. Next they both stood up and Harry made sure the couch looked like it had barely been touched. Then he made sure the window wasn't tinted anymore and that the door was unlocked.   
  
Louis turned to him after everything was back in its place and said, "I can honestly say I never thought I'd have sex with you on antique furniture in a room that only  _sometimes_  has a door in the year 1900."   
  
"There's a first time for everything." Harry said, placing his hands on Louis' waist and pulling him close.   
  
  
  
Louis and Harry spent the rest of the afternoon lazing about in the guest room, laying on one of the small twin beds together. They realized that they needed a strategy for approaching Charles, and were thankful they were given this extra time.   
  
"Should we use our fake names?" Louis asked lazily, fingering Harry's curls. "Just in case that guy opens the door again?"   
  
"Hmm, probably," Harry replied, kissing Louis lightly on the mouth. Since Dee and Chris weren't home and no one could see inside the upstairs window, it felt safe enough to do that. "Though we might have to tell Charles the truth once we get him alone."   
  
"And," Louis said, kissing Harry back for a long moment. "We need to figure out what we should say."   
  
"We should find out if he knows that supernaturals exist." Harry suggested. "Throw in some hints, say something seems magical or, like... I don't know..." Harry drifted off. All he really wanted to do was kiss Louis again. So he did . Louis kissed him back immediately, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck, pulling him close.   
  
"We should be careful." Louis said, his mouth only staying away from Harry's until he finished the sentence, "Your aunt and uncle could come home any minute." He was probably saying that to be careful or courteous; they weren't due back for hours.   
  
"I really don't care," Harry replied, kissing Louis again.   
  
They were still tired and spent from before, so they kissed lazily for awhile. Eventually, Harry rested his head on Louis' chest. To be honest, he probably could have done more, climbed over Louis and had his way with him again, but he didn't want to risk it in the guest room. Then again, they'd risked it in that hidden, magic room. He tried not to moan thinking about it, but when he remembered being with Louis, it did things to him. He reached out and put his hand over Louis' crotch, just because he could.   
  
"Harry," Louis said, pushing his head back against the pillow. "What are you doing?"   
  
"I'm quite sure you know." Harry replied, not even bothering to feel worried anymore. Suddenly, he wanted to make the most out of their time alone. He worked quickly, unbuttoning Louis' trousers. "Think you could go again?"   
  
"Well," Louis made a thoughtful face. "I'm a little  _sore_  from before. But I could do some other stuff..."   
  
"Other stuff it is." Harry replied, helping the other boy wriggle out of his trousers.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
A few hours later, Aunt Dee and Uncle Chris came home. Harry and Louis were in the kitchen,  _trying_  to prepare some kind food for their gracious hosts. Of course, it was a disaster. Harry had claimed he could put something together because he used to work in a bakery. Like that helped at all. So the kitchen was quite messy when Harry's aunt and uncle walked through their front door, and nothing Harry had made was edible.   
  
Louis watched Harry in amusement as he stood up straighter, his eyes wide, when his aunt and uncle came into the kitchen. He and Harry were both kind of messy (alright, a lot messy), and they would probably have to have someone clean their house for the rest of their lives. He looked down at the table and then back up at Harry as he realized he had just actually thought about their future. Like, either some kind of  _married life_  or just the two of them living together.   
  
That kind of thing might have weirded Louis out a year ago. The idea that it just seemed like a given that they would be together, that was kind of strange at the age of nineteen. But after everything they had gone through, he knew what was meant to be. As Dee and Chris looked around the kitchen, Harry caught Louis' gaze, and instantly he seemed to calm down when Louis smiled at him.   
  
"We really do appreciate the effort, Harry." Dee said, waving her hand. In an instant, the kitchen was clean. Not just clean, but  _sparkling_.   
  
"Show off." Chris teased her, sitting down at the table next to Louis. Then Dee sat down, too. "Did you talk to Charles, boys?"   
  
Harry shook his head. "He wasn't home. We have to go tomorrow, if it's alright if we stay another day."   
  
"Of course it is." Dee said, smiling. "What did you boys do today?"   
  
Harry and Louis looked at each other. Louis realized immediately that it was probably suspicious, but they hadn't really worked on a cover story. They'd had actual sex and then oral sex, and they couldn't really tell their hosts that. They probably couldn't tell them that they'd gone snooping around, either.   
  
"Strategized." Harry said finally. "Coming up with what to say when we talk to Charles. So," he looked at Chris and Dee. "How was your trip?"   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
 _In 2011_...   
  
  
Isabel, Liam, Niall, and Zayn had spent the rest of the day hiding out in Isabel's flat. Not that it did much good. They all sat around, scared. Even Isabel, who tried to act calm, cool, and collected, paced back and forth. Sometimes her fangs were out, which Zayn justified by reminding the lads that it was how someone like her dealt with this type of stress. As long as she didn't bite them, which she had promised not to do, they were alright.   
  
At night, when it was time to sleep, Niall went into Isabel's spare room first to get ready. He seemed tired, but also kind of too freaked out to sleep. Liam didn't blame him, but he hoped Niall would be able to get some rest tonight. After getting abducted by Adrian, he needed it.   
  
A few minutes after Niall disappeared, Isabel came out of her room in the same nightgown she had been wearing this morning. Zayn, who had been watching TV, saw her immediately. It was hard to miss her, but just in case either of them did, she walked over and stood right in front of the television.   
  
"Hello, boys." Isabel said, smiling at Zayn seductively. Liam looked back and forth between them, tempted to comment on how Isabel had called them "boys" rather than "humans." She must have been warming up to them. Liam also realized she didn't scare him nearly as much as she had a few days ago. She still had her moments, but she was tolerable when she wasn't trying to be the "typical vampire." He had a feeling Louis would disagree; after all, she'd almost killed him. But maybe he could see that she wasn't what his first impression of her was.   
  
Still. He felt  _very_  weird, observing the look between Isabel and Zayn. So weird, in fact, that he stood. "I think I'm going to go check on Niall." he said. Then, to Isabel, "Don't bite Zayn."   
  
Isabel turned to him and smirked. "We'll see."   
  
"Liam, I'll be fine. Go take care of Niall." Zayn insisted.   
  
Liam walked to the door of the spare room, and looked over his shoulder just in time to see Zayn and Isabel disappear into Isabel's bedroom. Liam shuddered as he opened the door and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. Niall sat up on the cot, playing with his phone. No doubt checking his Twitter mentions or something similar to that.   
  
"Niall?" Liam asked. Niall looked up sharply, and then relaxed at the sight of Liam. Liam walked over to the cot and sat in front of him. "Niall, are you alright? Want to talk?"   
  
Niall was quiet for a moment. It kind of freaked him out not to see Niall amused by something. Even when he was in a bad mood, he or the other lads could break him out of that by doing something funny, and it didn't take that much to make Niall laugh. But Niall looked like he wasn't about to laugh any time soon. "I was invisible. I was stupid. I thought, invisible on the way there, invisible on the way back. Easy. He didn't do anything to me, but he threatened me."   
  
"What did he say?"   
  
"That he would probably have to kill me. But you guys came and saved me. I knew you would."   
  
"Of course." Liam assured him. Niall's hair was messier than normal, and he smoothed it, trying to comfort him. He wasn't sure what was appropriate to do right now and what wasn't, but Niall seemed to like the touch. "We weren't going to leave you with that crazy bastard."   
  
"Do you think he's actually won?" Niall asked, looking up into Liam's eyes.   
  
"I think," Liam said, "that he probably did trace the magic back to the coven." He didn't want to lie to Niall, despite how much he wanted to remain optimistic. "And he might have taken them. But I don't think he took Harry and Louis. I think they're still out there."   
  
"How do you know?"   
  
"I don't," Liam admitted. "But I think we'd know. Just like we kind of knew something was wrong when they got kidnapped. We know our friends, Niall. As different as we all are."   
  
Niall nodded, setting his phone aside. Then he lay down, face up. He stared up at the ceiling, though it didn't seem that interesting. Liam hesitated for a moment before crawling over to Niall and kneeling beside him. Liam looked down at him as Niall looked into his eyes. And then Liam knew what was okay.   
  
He kissed Niall softly, tentatively. He figured he would start a little slow considering today's events, despite the fact that they had already gone down on each other. He lay down on his side next to Niall and continued kissing him. Now the kiss was beginning to heat up, and Niall wrapped one arm around Liam's neck. Liam began to rock against Niall gently, embarrassed about how turned on he felt right now. He meant to only give Niall a comforting snog, but there was something about the way Niall moved with him, and there was also the fact that he could feel Niall growing hard against him as well. Niall didn't even seem embarrassed about it. He just accepted it as a fact and kept on kissing Liam.   
  
But Liam, who had never much acted on impulse unless it came to Niall, quickly grabbed the blanket and pulled it over them, stopping the kiss.  
  
Then, under the blanket, he reached under Niall's underwear, and Niall's eyes, which had been lazily half-closed, suddenly flew open.   
  
"In Isabel's place?" Niall asked, shocked that Liam would initiate such a thing.   
  
"Trust me, you don't want to know what Isabel and Zayn are doing right now." Liam assured him. Niall's eyes widened even more if it was possible. "It'll be fine. Just our hands, though, alright?" He didn't want to get  _too_  carried away on Isabel's cot.   
  
Niall seemed all for the idea and proceeded to spit on his hand and take hold of Liam's dick inside his boxers. They stroked each other, occasionally kissing and rocking together. Whenever their eyes met, Liam couldn't help but smile. Despite everything that was going on, they both wanted to do this right. Neither of them wanted to mess this up.   
  
When they both finished, Niall collapsed on the bed, a content smile on his lips, his eyes closed. Liam grinned lazily. He'd done that. He's successfully comforted Niall. It didn't always have to result in something sexual, but this time it had, and he was happy about it.   
  
He supposed he was still amazed by their relationship in the first place.   
  
That night he had good dreams.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
 _In 1900_...   
  
  
The next morning, Harry and Louis sat at the kitchen table after breakfast, rehearsing what they were going to say to Charles. Harry was worried about messing up somehow, but Dee told them that they probably didn't have to worry so much. She hinted that Charles knew a lot more than Harry and Louis thought, so maybe he really did know about supernaturals already. When Harry asked if he did, Dee gave them this smile, like she knew that he did, but she wasn't really supposed to say. That was sort of helpful, in a weird way.   
  
In the early afternoon, they headed back over to Charles' house. This time when they knocked on the door, a different man appeared. Harry could immediately tell it was Charles. He just had an owner-of-the-house demeanor about him.   
  
"You must be Harry and Louis." Charles said, smiling. "Christopher and Deirdre told me you would stop by."   
  
Harry glanced at Louis. They had  _what_?   
  
"Please, come in." he said, opening the door wider.   
  
They followed Charles through the hallway, looking around as they did so. It seemed kind of nice and normal enough. Not creepy or something that could belong to a future PAUSE member. Then again, Harry wasn't sure how to distinguish what a house that belonged to a future PAUSE member looked like. And not everyone was the same, of course.   
  
Charles led them into a living room and told them to "please sit down." Harry sat next to Louis on the sofa while Charles sat in a reclining chair facing them after handing them each a glass of water from the small table in front of them. Apparently he had been planning for this. Harry and Louis glanced at each other. It was probably safer not to drink the water.   
  
Then Charles spoke. "Christopher and Deirdre told me you would come. Well, they didn't so much as tell me, but hinted at it in a message that arrived this morning. My butler told me boys named Harry and Louis came by yesterday. I assume that is you."   
  
"Uh... yeah." Harry said. "I'm Harry and this is Louis. We...just wanted to talk to you."   
  
Charles took a sip of his own drink. "About magic?"   
  
"What-"   
  
"Boys, I  _know_ , because I know Christopher and Deirdre. I know who and what they are, and I know where they're from. Or shall I say when?"   
  
"How?" Louis demanded. Harry wanted to ask the same thing.   
  
"I am fully aware of the supernatural beings around me. I assume at least one of you is a witch. And I assume you're here about PAUSE, because I doubt you would want to talk to me about anything else." Charles continued. The two boys just stared at him. "However, I am not sure if I can help you. If you came to the past to speak with me, there must be something you're trying to prevent. I do not believe in changing history."   
  
"Charles, you don't understand." Harry said, worried. How did he know all this already? It was only 1900. "We came here from 2011. Yeah, the  _future_. We're from an entirely different world than you, practically. We have television, computers, and iPhones and... and...  _Nandos_." he said, completely aware that Charles probably thought he was speaking some foreign language. "We  _know_  what happens in the future. Your descendent, Adrian, is killing supernaturals. He has minions doing it. It's murder, and we're trying to prevent it."   
  
"I  _do_  understand that." Charles replied, sighing. "But unfortunately, boys, I can't help you in the way you want." He looked sorry as he said it, and even his tone betrayed his reluctance. So... why couldn't he help?   
  
"All you have to do is not start up PAUSE." Louis said. Harry recognized the tone he was using. He was trying to be patient, but it was clearly difficult for him.   
  
Charles shook his head. "Boys, PAUSE already exists. It began long ago. How do you think I know about it? And I believe in what we do."   
  
For a moment, Harry wasn't sure he'd heard Charles correctly. ".... What?"   
  
"You  _believe_  in what they do?" Louis asked. He seemed annoyed, and Harry didn't blame him. "They're killing supernaturals, and-"   
  
"Not yet." Charles said. "What I said was that I believe in what  _we_  do. Not that I believe in what PAUSE  _will_  do. Your PAUSE sounds much different than ours. We keep handwritten records of supernaturals we know, just so we know that they're not dangerous. That is how I know Christopher and Deirdre. We don't track anybody's whereabouts and we do not hurt anybody unless it is self-defense."   
  
Harry sat silently, and his eyes met Louis'. Then Louis nodded, silently telling Harry that he was going to try another approach. He turned to Charles again. "When did PAUSE start up? I was told 1901."   
  
"And current members believe it's a different date." Charles replied. "It's much, much older. We use fabricated dates, especially for situations like these."   
  
"So you don't steal magic or anything?" Harry asked.   
  
" _Steal magic_?" Charles replied, sitting up straight. His eyes widened, and Harry was pretty sure Charles had never even considered that possibility and hoped he hadn't just sparked some intrigue. "Absolutely not! To do so would go against what the organization stands for. We protect people from each other and include supernaturals in that. That's all."   
  
"Then why is it the Enforcement and Protection Against Supernaturals Unit?" Harry inquired, still not convinced.   
  
Charles stared back at him. "That is not the name. It's the Enforcement of Protection And Supernaturality Unit."   
  
Again, Harry and Louis stared at each other. The name had been changed sometime during the twentieth century. Did Adrian change it? When exactly  _had_  it changed?   
  
"Can you... disband PAUSE?" Louis asked. "I never thought I would ask that, but it's important."   
  
Charles frowned. "I can't disband PAUSE, I'm sorry. We have policies about that. But what I can promise you that I can enforce our philosophy as much as possible. That's the best I can offer."   
  
Harry sighed. He knew that wouldn't be good enough. But Charles was a good guy. He didn't look at Harry like he was a different species, like most PAUSE members in 2011 would. Charles just wanted to keep everyone safe. And everyone actually meant  _everyone_.   
  
He stood. "Thanks, Mr. Smith. We appreciate whatever you're willing to do." He met Louis' eyes and communicated silently to him. It was time to go. They wouldn't be able to convince him. They would have to find another way.   
  
They shook hands and then Charles and Louis shook hands.   
  
Before he knew it, he and Louis were standing outside on the porch.  
  
"Crap." Harry said. "What should we do now?"   
  
"We'll go back." Louis replied. "And do the ritual."   
  
Harry gave it a moment of thought before he could only nod. He knew that Louis didn't want to. Harry still didn't mind nearly as much as Louis did. But now he was feeling slightly reluctant about it, maybe because Louis' feelings about it had started influencing Harry's. Mostly he wanted Louis to be happy.   
  
They silently walked back to Aunt Dee and Uncle Chris's house. Harry wanted nothing more than to take Louis' hand, but of course that wasn't possible. And even though it wasn't any more possible in 2011 than it was in 1900, he was suddenly eager to get back. They had to take care of this somehow, even if Charles wasn't willing to help.  
  
When they entered the house, they found Chris reading the newspaper in the living room. Dee was next to him, knitting. It was only the middle of the day, but Harry remembered that they were retired. They didn't have seasonal jobs. They just lived here, so it made sense that they were here while they weren't out visiting friends.   
  
"Back so soon?" Dee asked, looking up from her knitting.   
  
There were some chairs that Harry and Louis could sit on but they didn't. Instead, they stood together as Harry said, "Funny story. Charles knew we were coming. And PAUSE has already been formed." He crossed his arms. Dee and Chris looked down guiltily and suddenly Harry felt like a parent chastising a kid. "Any reason why that is and why you haven't told us? And why you let us go talk to Charles despite that?"   
  
Chris set down his newspaper and stood. He approached them, and Harry stepped closer to Louis instinctively. Then Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Harry. Harry looked down and read it.   
  
 _They need to be here. Two days.  
  
\- A_   
  
There was also something written in Astairnian that Harry couldn't read. His mum had written that. That had been the note he'd given them the other night.   
  
No. No way. His mum and sister had sent them back on purpose. They had probably known that Harry and Louis couldn't change anything. There was no telling how much his mum and sister actually knew. But all Harry knew was that they'd been lied to. They'd been sent away. To be kept safe, Harry supposed. But... they'd  _lied_.  
  
Louis, who was reading it over his shoulder, looked up at Harry's aunt and uncle. "We  _need_  to be here?"   
  
"They knew we couldn't change it. Didn't they?" Harry asked.   
  
"Yes." said Chris. Dee had just set down her knitting and stood next to her husband. "But they knew you would return. They sensed Adrian trying to trace your magic back to the coven. They knew that he and his people were coming. You also needed to talk to Charles, no matter what his answer was. That was a feeling we both had."   
  
"If I did the mercy charm, would it even work?" Harry asked, annoyed. "Did Adrian  _take_  the coven?"   
  
"They were trying to come up with something else. They wanted to stop PAUSE without having to use you. But..." Dee informed them, looking at Chris. "We've been keeping in touch. Until last night. We haven't heard from them today. Which means that yes, you're going back. But you're not using a mercy charm. We're taking you."   
  
Harry didn't even have the time to be angry with them. Suddenly, Chris and Dee were running around, deciding which things they needed to bring. When Dee returned from upstairs with a familiar book, Harry tried not to let his jaw drop. It was the book that Harry couldn't read yesterday. He saw recognition in Louis' eyes as well. "What's that?" Harry asked, his voice unusually weak.  _Way to sound suspicious, Styles_ , he scolded himself.   
  
Dee looked him square in the eye. "You know what it is. And you're going to need it."   
  
"How do you know?" Harry asked.   
  
"It told me." Dee replied. She was dead serious.   
  
Finally, Chris and Dee stood on either side of Louis and Harry. Harry gripped Louis tightly because they both knew what was coming. As the older couple began to call the elements, Harry looked over at Louis. Louis had closed his eyes, squeezing them tightly. He looked terrified. Suddenly, Harry didn't care if Dee and Chris knew about him and Louis. Everyone was going to find out eventually. He gave Louis a light kiss on the cheek, earning him a  _look_  from Dee. Harry didn't care one bit because Louis relaxed a bit and rested his head against Harry's.   
  
The time travel spell didn't seem to take as long as it had when they were traveling  _to_  1900. Maybe it was because Harry knew what to expect. It felt like a huge gust of wind that lasted a minute, and Harry couldn't catch an image of anything around him. When the gust stopped, he finally looked around. They were back in the coven house. In 2011, Harry assumed.   
  
But as they stood there in silence for a few seconds, Harry realized it felt wrong. Weird. Empty.   
  
PAUSE had already taken the coven. Harry could feel it. "No," he whispered, turning around, hoping to find  _someone_ , anyone else. Louis was there, recovering from the time travel. Dee and Chris stood together, looking puzzled as well. They were all dressed in modern clothes, and Dee was holding the Astairnian book.   
  
"They're not here." Harry said. "They were taken."   
  
Nobody said anything.  
  
Aunt Dee stepped forward and held out the book to him. Harry had no idea what a book that he couldn't even read could do, but he took it.


	18. Chapter 18

Even though they were all pretty sure that the coven's house was empty, they had to make sure. They split up. Dee and Chris both going separate ways, and Harry, carrying the book, went to the basement with Louis. They had been right; the house was completely empty.   
  
When they reconvened, Dee and Chris looked at each other distraught. Chris asked Dee, "Do you sense it?"   
  
She nodded, and turned to the two boys. "They  _were_  here, and their magic overpowered the coven's because there were so many of them with stolen magic. We can sense the negative use of magic here. Most likely they came here early this morning."   
  
"So they really were outnumbered." Harry assumed. He wasn't sure what to say. He looked down at the book he held, and then glanced at Louis. "Louis, go call your mum. Check on her and the rest of your family."   
  
Louis nodded. It seemed to have been on his mind anyway. Because even though Jay, Mark, and Louis' sisters weren't witches or any kind of supernatural, they were starting to defect from PAUSE, and it was much easier to take someone who didn't have magic.   
  
"I just need a phone." Louis said.   
  
"There's a house phone upstairs." Chris told him. "You go up the stairs and it's the third room to your left. You'll see it."   
  
Again, Louis nodded, and headed right up the stairs. Harry watched him for a moment before turning to his aunt and uncle. "What do we do?"   
  
"Harry," Dee said. "We need to talk to you about something important." Her eyes lowered to the book in Harry's hands. "About that."   
  
"Alright." Harry replied. He was quite curious himself. They walked through the house into the living room. Harry looked around. Even though Harry hadn't seen this place very much, as he wasn't initiated yet, but it felt so weird that no one else was here. There had been a warm, friendly atmosphere before. Now it felt empty, and the magic that Harry had sensed from this house before felt taken. He wouldn't be surprised if PAUSE had taken the magic from the house, but it still made him angry. He sat down on the couch, gripping the cushion tightly, willing the tension to leave his body. He needed to pay attention.   
  
"The book you're holding is special." Dee said. "It's yours."   
  
"It's not mine." Harry replied. "It's yours. It belongs to you. Or the coven, or something. Why would it be mine?"   
  
"Because it is, Harry. It picked you." Chris said.   
  
Harry frowned, still skeptical. "What?" Chris and Dee weren't smiling. They weren't joking. They were completely serious about this. "Please don't tell me this is a 'Chosen One' Harry Potter type thing, because I've heard enough 'Yer a wizard, Harry' jokes to last a lifetime." Actually, he usually found them amusing, as repetitive as they could get. And, of course, the fans who made the jokes had absolutely no idea.   
  
"No, you're not some all-powerful magical heir with greater coven magic than the rest of us." Now Dee smiled. It was a soft smile. "However, this book is yours. And you are the only one who can read it  _and_  use its charms. That is how the book works."   
  
"But I can't read it." Harry protested. "I tried to read it at your house. It's all in Astairnian and I can't read that. I never bothered to learn it."   
  
Chris shook his head. "Harry, if you try hard enough, you know Astairnian. You don't need to learn it. It's part of our kind. When it comes to the magic language, we see what we want to see. You didn't believe you could read it, so you couldn't. But it's instinctual. We all know it. It does, however, have to be triggered."   
  
Oh. So that was why he had been given that stuff to learn it as a gift. He suddenly wished that he hadn't shoved it into the back of his closet. Maybe if he hadn't done that he would know what he was doing. But he had been so distracted by everything. First, he'd had to learn as much as he could about magic until he turned eighteen, and then the X Factor had happened. That itself had taken a lot of his free time, and he hadn't given much thought to this part of magic. Obviously he'd practiced. But usually, he'd been lazy, or just used it for his benefit, like when he'd cleaned up his face during the X Factor final.   
  
"I could only read a few words. Something about calling spirits." Harry admitted. "But that was it. What kind of spellbook is this, exactly?"   
  
"Look at it, Harry." Dee said, opening the book a quarter of the way through.   
  
Harry focused on the page hard. He needed to believe he could read it. And if what Chris had said was true, he  _could_. He could read it. It was only a magic language, no big deal. If he told himself that enough times, maybe he could believe it. He bit his lip in concentration, wishing Louis was here next to him. Louis would tell him he believed in him and that he  _could_  read it. And then after the words would come into focus, Harry would look up at Louis and they would grin at each other. As he looked at the page, Harry couldn't help but grin a little.   
  
And then, suddenly, he understood the words on the page. How, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was because he knew that even though Louis wasn't in the room with him, his support always was. But he tried not to gasp as he looked at the book. He flipped through the pages, skimming the titles of various spells. Spirits, ghosts, poltergeists,  _angels_. "It's about the afterlife."   
  
Harry stopped on one spell about sending ghosts to "the other side," amazed. He hadn't given much thought to the afterlife at all. It wasn't something he focused heavily on, and he wasn't very religious. He'd never really been sure what he believed. Though maybe that was stupid. He was magical, so maybe there had to be something. He knew his mum was spiritual. Gemma had always insisted she didn't believe in anything.   
  
"That's right." Chris said. "This is the only spell book about the afterlife. Only this book's owner can use these charms and spells."   
  
"What happens if someone else tries to use them?"   
  
"They die."   
  
 _Creepy_ , thought Harry, glancing down at the book again. "But how do you know I'm this supposed owner? Why would it be me?"   
  
"The owner's name appears in the book when he or she is born. The last owner died ten years ago. And this book was not from 1900. When you were born, we took it to our house in the 1800s to keep it safe." Dee said, reaching over to flip to the front of the book. She stopped two pages in, and Harry looked down to see a list of names. "I assume you didn't see this page when you first looked at the book."   
  
"No." Harry said, staring at the list of names. It was a long list, so Harry skipped down to the most recent names, all in the same unidentified type of print.   
  
 _Joan Black_  
  
 _Randall Brody_    
  
 _Harry Styles_    
  
So it was true. He was this book's owner. "How long is this book mine?"   
  
"Until the next owner is born. It should be around the time of your death, and hopefully that won't happen for a long, long time." Dee assured him. Harry tried not to feel morbid about that. "We had to keep this safe for you. You need to use it."   
  
"I don't have to wait until I'm in the coven?" Harry asked, surprised. It seemed like big magic, which was something he couldn't really do yet.   
  
"No. This is yours. Coven magic belongs to everyone." Chris told him. "But this is a kind of power only you can control."   
  
"Then why, when ghosts attacked Louis when we went to America, could I not control them?" Harry asked. He was pretty sure if the answer, but he needed to ask. He had to make sure.   
  
"You saw them." Chris said. "Only someone interacting with them and the book's owner can see them. What happened, exactly?"   
  
Harry told them. He had to admit that his memory was a bit spotty, and it had even been spotty when Louis had woken him up. But he thought hard, and he realized that some time during the dream, Louis left that haunted house. It was after the ghost made that screaming sound and started for Louis. Harry had assumed the dream had ended there. But that wasn't the case at all, now that he thought about it. Harry had still seen the ghosts, and they had instead turned on each other. Louis hadn't been there the whole time, which was why he had gotten to the hotel in time to wake Harry up. Harry wasn't sure why he hadn't remembered that. He and Louis had talked about ghosts a little bit when they were trapped in that room by PAUSE. Louis had again insisted that he had been fine. Ghosts couldn't touch people, just kind of freak them out. Pass through them, will stuff to fall over. But Harry hadn't been convinced. There was more to ghosts than they both knew. He'd known that immediately.   
  
"They couldn't attack Louis." Chris assured Harry. "You know that now, right?"   
  
Harry nodded. He also realized the reason why they'd been sent back to the past now. Not only because his mother cared about him and Louis, but also because he was the owner of this ghost spell book. Not only had she wanted to protect him in general, but he was the only one who could do these spells. And somehow, they were important. For some reason, he was being told about this  _now_. Which meant... he had to be a fast learner.   
  
"Hey."   
  
Harry looked up from the book as Louis came down the stairs. Louis looked kind of freaked out, which meant that he didn't have good news. Automatically, he set the book aside and stood up. When he reached Louis, he pulled him into a tight hug. "What is it? Is your family alright?"   
  
Louis pulled back and looked Harry in the eye. "My dad and sisters are fine. I tried calling my mum, and there was no answer. So I rang your step-dad and we talked. He's going out of his mind because Anne's gone, and he hasn't heard from my mum today either. She's been checking in with him so that everyone's on the same page. I think they got her, too."   
  
"Louis," Harry said, tightening his arms around him again. "It's going to be fine. I promise."   
  
"You can't promise that, Harry. They could be dead already." Louis said sadly.   
  
"No..." Harry said. "I apparently have an affinity with the dead. If they were dead, I would sense it. I would know." Chris and Dee hadn't told him that, but somehow he was sure of it as he spoke.   
  
"Well, that's morbid." Louis said. He sounded a little disturbed by it, and Harry didn't blame him. But he did give Harry a little smirk, so Harry knew Louis would be fine with it all eventually. "At least you know they're alive. And what do you mean you 'have an affinity with the dead?'" he asked, making air quotes around the last six words with his fingers.   
  
Harry then tried to explain, to the best of his ability, everything his aunt and uncle had just told him. Louis listened, amused, intrigued, and puzzled. "So basically I have to figure out how to stop the bad PAUSE members with this because it's our only hope. Because only my magic can control it. It's something that PAUSE can't steal. If they try to do anything in the book, they'll die."   
  
"Is there something in there you can use?"   
  
"I don't know yet." Harry said. "I have to study it. I only just found out I can read it." His face warmed up as he remembered how he'd discovered he could read it. It was because of Louis. And suddenly he had the goofiest smile on his face. He didn't have to look in a mirror to know that. Louis smiled back at him, and it felt everything fall away except for them.  _How_  did Louis do this to him?   
  
And then Dee had to go and break the spell. "Are we correct in assuming...." She trailed off as Harry and Louis both turned to her. Harry's aunt and uncle mostly just looked curious. "That you two are... lovers?"   
  
 _Lovers_? Harry hadn't even really considered that word. They hadn't even labeled what they were, just accepted that they were together. Was that what they were? It was such a weird, cheesy word. But of course, people Chris and Dee's age would use it. And it wasn't like they could deny being together. So Harry nodded, just a bit. "Yeah."   
  
"Good," Chris replied, to Harry's surprise. "Hold on to that."   
  
Hold on to that? "What?"   
  
"When you do those spells you're going to feel...  _more_  than human because you're going to mingle with the afterlife. You need to hang on to human emotions." he explained.   
  
"Mingle with the afterlife?" Harry asked, confused. "More than human?"   
  
"No offense, but isn't Harry more than human anyway, being a witch?" Louis added.   
  
"It will be more than that." Dee said, standing. She brought the book over and handed it to Harry. This time it felt right in his hands. It belonged there. "You will feel in between human and spirit. You need to read the book, Harry. When this is over, because right now there isn't much time for that. You just have to expect it for now. Hold on to your feelings for Louis. Anything that feels human. That's what will get you through whatever spell you cast from that book."   
  
They were all quiet for a moment. Harry looked down at the book again, amazed that he supposedly had this kind of power. And he needed to use it. It was the only thing he  _could_  use.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Niall, Zayn, and Liam sat on Isabel's couch that afternoon, bored. Isabel had yet to emerge from her bedroom, but Liam and Niall had found Zayn in the kitchen that morning, making sandwiches for all of them. While they ate, Niall had brought up what had happened the previous night. Zayn was unusually quiet about the Isabel situation. And it wasn't like he  _always_ bragged about his conquests, but Isabel was a vampire. Zayn always at least said  _something_.   
  
And of course it was Niall who brought it up. "So how was vampire sex?"   
  
Zayn, who had been chewing his sandwich, stopped momentarily. "Fine."   
  
"Fine? You  _have_  to do better than that." Niall let out a little laugh. Liam smiled apologetically at Zayn. It was clear Niall wasn't going to let this go.   
  
Zayn shrugged, and then grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling it down to reveal two bite marks on his shoulder. Liam couldn't stay silent any longer. "Isabel  _drank_  from you?"   
  
"I'm fine." Zayn told them. "She only drank a little. And it was hot. Don't worry."   
  
But Liam couldn't help but worry. And he continued to worry into the afternoon. Even now, as they sat watching television. Until Niall's phone went off, announcing that he had a text message. Niall picked up the phone, looking at it curiously.   
  
"A text from an unknown number. Weird." Niall said. He pressed some buttons and his eyes suddenly widened. "It's  _Louis_."   
  
"Let me see." Zayn said, taking hold of the phone. All three boys had a view of it. It was indeed a text from Louis, telling them that they were going to go to the PAUSE building at some point. And then ' _Harry has a book!_ '   
  
"What the does that mean? Harry has a  _book_?" Liam asked. "Can Louis be any more cryptic?"   
  
Just as Liam spoke, Isabel came out of her bedroom. She looked gorgeous, as always. But there was something different about her. She looked  _ravaged_ , and like she hadn't bothered to get herself cleaned up though it had been hours since the three boys had woken up. When Zayn saw her, he snapped his mouth shut. But amazingly he didn't look embarrassed, even though he had been the one to ravage her.   
  
Isabel walked up to the three of them. While Niall and Liam watched, she smiled seductively at Zayn. She leaned down to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for last night, babe."   
  
"Do you mind? We're in the middle of something." Liam said.   
  
Isabel turned to him, glaring. "Yes, I mind. This is my home. I'm graciously allowing you three to squat here, so I will do and say what I please. I'll walk around nude if I want to. If you have a problem with that, you can get out. And for the record, I have a great sense of smell and hearing. I may have been busy with Zayn, but I know what you and Niall got up to last night. So if I want to thank Zayn for the  _amazing sex_  we had last night, I will."   
  
Both Zayn and Liam stared at her in shock, but it didn't seem to phase Niall, which surprised Liam quite a bit. He chuckled and said, "Walk around nude? It's amazing you and Harry don't get along."   
  
Isabel's gaze turned to Niall. "Shut up, leprechaun." And then to Zayn, "I'm going to take a shower. I suggest you join me. Then we'll all talk about that text from that  _human_."   
  
Zayn didn't need to be told twice. He stood up and followed Isabel into the bathroom. Liam hoped with all he had that they didn't hear moans and screams in a few minutes. Especially because they had all agreed not to leave the flat without each other. They couldn't go anywhere to escape any sounds they heard.   
  
Niall didn't seem to care at all that Isabel had called him a leprechaun in a negative tone. He just gave Liam an amused smile and said, "I think she likes us."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Harry wasn't sure what they were waiting for. From what he knew, Dee and Chris were trying to communicate with other covens, try to figure out the best way to approach Adrian and the rest of the PAUSE members. Because they all knew it had to happen. But they needed to do it the safest way. While they did that, Harry and Louis went upstairs to the room they had shared during their night there. They sat on a bed across from each other with the book laying open in between them.   
  
"It all looks like...  _nothing_  to me." Louis said, looking down at the book. "I can't read it at all."   
  
"I can, but I didn't think I could. I was too distracted when we were in that room together." Harry looked up into Louis' eyes meaningfully.   
  
Louis grinned smugly, and then pointed down at the page. "What's that one for?"   
  
Harry read it. "It's a spell to see if there are any spirits around. Like, if I wanted to see if there were any in this room."   
  
" _Really_? Do it!" Louis said excitedly.   
  
"I can't just do it!" Harry protested. "It's complicated and dangerous." As he tried to justify it, he realized that it was a bit pointless. Yeah, it was complicated and dangerous, but there was no other way he would learn this stuff before it really mattered. He just didn't want to hurt anyone in the process of learning it.   
  
"If it just shows you if there are spirits in the room, then it should be alright. And I'll be here."   
  
Harry nodded, glancing down at the book again. And this charm really didn't look that dangerous. According to the book, they would just see the spirits. Most likely they'd just see orbs or something. "Alright. I'll do it. I guess... just sit there. You'll be able to see them. They probably won't look like ghosts do."   
  
"I know." Louis assured him. Harry gave Louis a hesitant smile, remembering that Louis knew even more than him about which creatures actually existed. Obviously he knew the differences between the different forms of the afterlife.   
  
Harry picked up the book. He didn't have to call the elements to do a charm like this. The elements represented life, and he had to call death. He sighed and closed his eyes, willing himself to become calm. According to the book, he had to feel as empty as he could. He slowly let the stress and worry flow out of him. Louis' scent calmed him and made him smile. Then he opened his eyes and saw Louis' eyes were closed. He was trying his very best to be respectful and quiet and Harry mostly found him adorable. But he needed to focus.   
  
"Spirits," he said, speaking in Astairnian, "Show yourselves. Find the light, and  _show_ ," he lifted up his hand as the book instructed, willing the magic to flow out of it. He felt it and then he  _saw_ it. In an instant, an intense magic light flew out of his hand toward the wall. It was a struggle to get the last word out, but he managed it, " _yourselves_!"   
  
He was glad he was sitting down, because it would have pushed him over if he had been standing up. He felt a little bit sick, but after a moment it subsided as the room grew dark. A moment later, little circles of light began to appear on the upper wall toward the ceiling. They moved around. It looked like they were  _bouncing_. Harry felt drawn to them and found himself getting off the bed. It seemed like it was only himself and the orbs in the room. He felt entranced, mesmerized. They were orbs.  _His_  orbs.   
  
He walked toward the wall, reaching up with his hand. They grew brighter, bouncier as he approached them.   
  
In the distance, he heard a faint voice calling his name. He ignored it. These orbs, they were brighter. They were more... more  _something_. They were so  _gorgeous_.   
  
He wanted to reach the orbs. He glanced down at his feet, willing himself to levitate. He felt himself begin to lift off of the ground, reaching up toward the orbs. Could he.... could he  _join_  them? What would happen if he did? Could he shine that bright?  
  
And then something grabbed his other hand and he was yanked down to the ground against his will. "No," he whispered, feeling further and further away. "No, come back."   
  
Whoever was holding his hand spun him around, and then there was a pair of lips against his. Louis.  _Louis_ , Harry thought, relieved. He kissed him back immediately, pushing him back toward the bed. Louis lay back on the bed and Harry crawled over him, placing gentle kisses against Louis jaw before kissing his mouth again. Louis moaned against Harry's lips. Harry licked Louis' lips and then sucked on his bottom one. His hands rested on either side of Louis' face,   
  
A few moments later, he pulled back slightly. Louis smiled. Harry held him as love and relief filled him. The room was back to normal. Louis had pulled him out of the trance he had been in.   
  
"I love you." Harry said, looking down into Louis' eyes. He'd never felt so much need to say the words. Louis, who had been freaked out by his being a witch, was in this with him. They were in this  _together_. He helped Harry hold on to his humanity throughout this. And Harry just  _loved_  him.   
  
Louis just gazed back, and if he thought this was a cheesy moment, he didn't say so. He reached up and held Harry's face just like Harry was doing to him. "Love you too."   
  
Again, Harry kissed him. He couldn't get enough. He was trying really hard not to let it go too far. They were in a room with spirits, and a house with his aunt and uncle right downstairs. Still, he couldn't help feeling so good pressed against Louis, his growing erection (and Louis' as well) tempting him to not care at all. He brushed his crotch against Louis and the older boy moaned again, kissing him harder.   
  
"We should stop." Harry said, trying to be smart about this. There was something about Louis that made him want to be dumb about it.   
  
"Yeah." Louis said reluctantly, giving him a lingering kiss. Finally they separated and Harry lay beside Louis, holding his hand. "So there were spirits," Louis said. "I saw them. Probably not as intense as you saw them."   
  
"They were incredible." Harry admitted. "But... you got me away from them. So you're more incredible."   
  
"Obviously." Louis said, obviously quite pleased with himself, and kissed the back of Harry's hand.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
A little while later they made their way downstairs and found Chris and Dee sitting together in the living room. They were huddled together using hushed voices. They looked up when Harry and Louis walked into the room.   
  
"I tried one of the spells." Harry announced.   
  
"Which one? How did it go?" Chris asked.   
  
"Uh," Harry said, glancing at Louis. Louis smiled encouragingly at him, and kind of hoped that he left the snogging out of the explanation. That part would be between them and Louis took great pride in his ability to pull Harry out of his hypnotized state just by kissing him. "I did a spell to see spirits in a room upstairs. It worked, they were just orbs. You were right though. Louis helped me out of it. But it worked."   
  
Dee grinned and sprang up from the couch and hugged Harry and then Louis. "Oh good! You should look at more spells because we were discussing a few spells from the book that might work. We can talk about them, alright? And we have to leave when it gets dark, which should be soon."   
  
"Why when it gets dark?" Louis asked. Not that he didn't have faith in the older witches' abilities, but when it came to this stuff, he wanted to question everything, get as much information as possible. He also kind of wondered if they knew what they were doing, what the other witches had actually told them.   
  
"Two things. Visibility. We'll transport there magically, but we might need to stay invisible. It's easier to be invisible in the dark, in case they're using invisibility as well. Also, spirit magic is more powerful when it's dark. They shine brighter." Chris explained.   
  
Louis saw Harry frown, no doubt thinking,  _Great, less of a chance of me hanging on to my humanity._  
  
"Sounds great." Harry said in a weird voice. He gripped the spell book tightly before sitting on the floor and opening it to a random page.   
  
Louis could tell that Dee and Chris wanted to talk to Harry about more magic stuff, and Louis wouldn't understand most of it anyway, so he said, "I'm just going to go try to get in touch with the other lads." Harry looked up and nodded his approval, a slight smile on his lips. Louis ruffled Harry's hair and then turned and walked up the stairs, walking into the room that had the phone.   
  
He sat on the bed and picked up the phone, dialing Liam's phone number. Out of the three of them, he was pretty sure Liam would be most reliable with phone calls. The phone rang a few times and just as he began to give up hope that he wouldn't get a response, he heard, "Hello?"   
  
"Liam?"   
  
" _Louis_?"   
  
In the background he heard Niall's voice. "It's Louis? Let me listen. Louis? Hey, man!"   
  
Louis smiled, realizing just how much he missed hearing the other lads' voices. They were such a big part of his life now that it was actually weird that he hadn't seen them in so long, or even talked to them on the phone. "Yeah, it's me. How are you guys?  _Where_  are you?"   
  
"How are  _you_?" Liam asked instead. It felt like Liam was avoiding answering Louis' second question, but Louis didn't want to press it just yet. After all the time he had spent with the lads, he knew he couldn't scare them away, but he could definitely piss them off if he tried hard enough.Sometimes he could even if he didn't try. So he wanted to be careful about that right now.   
  
"I'm good." Louis replied, "Uh, so... Harry and I are going to resolve this. Well, mostly Harry I guess. I'm kind of just here for moral support."   
  
"Yeah, about that, Louis." Niall said, his voice more distant than Liam's, "What did you mean by, Harry has a book? I know that sometimes you say weird stuff, but..."   
  
"A spell book. Where's Zayn? I should explain it to you all at once so I don't have to again." There was a weird silence, and somehow Louis knew it was connected to Liam avoiding his question. "Alright, lads, what aren't you telling me?  _Where_  is Zayn?" What if Adrian had taken him? He could be locked up with the coven and his mum!  
  
And very quietly, Liam gave him an answer. Not the one Louis  _wanted_  to hear, however. "He's with Isabel."   
  
"With  _Isabel_? That bloodsucking bitch? What the fuck is he doing with her?" Okay, maybe that wasn't nice but when it came to Isabel, he honestly didn't care. The vampire had almost killed him. Maybe he had provoked her, but he had never wanted it to turn violent. Why were they hanging out with Isabel?   
  
"He, uh...." And then Liam mumbled something that Louis wasn't sure he heard correctly at first. But then somehow he knew and he had never been so annoyed with Zayn  _ever_.   
  
"He's  _sleeping with her_?" Louis blurted out loudly. So loudly he knew that on the other end of the line, Liam probably winced. "Fucking hell. Does he have  _any_  sense whatsoever?"   
  
"Not when it comes to her." NIall answered. "He's even going along with all her stupid plans. But right now we're all just hiding out here."   
  
"You're hiding out there while he's sleeping with Isabel?" The words made his stomach feel queasy. He couldn't help it. Isabel must have hypnotized him or something. After all, she could manipulate emotions well enough. He bitterly remembered that brief moment she'd made him want her. He now knew that she never would have let it get that far, not with someone she'd wanted to drink to death. So did that mean she was actually into Zayn? God, that was even worse. He was going to have a talk with Zayn later, try to talk some sense into that guy.   
  
"We're in her flat. She's been nice. Well, not  _nice_ , but... she's tolerating us. Which is pretty good for a vampire, I'd say." Liam said. And was that a chuckle? What was going on? They were all _fond_  of Isabel now? This was much worse than Louis originally thought.   
  
Louis rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Sure. Anyway, I'm calling to tell you that we're going after PAUSE in a few hours. I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen, but I hope whatever we do works."   
  
"When are you going? Do you have an address? We'll meet you." Niall said enthusiastically. Louis couldn't help but crack a half-smile at Niall. Same as ever.   
  
But he wasn't going to put the boys in harm's way. "No way, lads. Sorry. You're going to stay there and I will let you know when it's over."   
  
"Louis, you know that's not going to happen." Liam protested.   
  
"Yes it is." he insisted. "Because I'm not telling you where we're going." He left out that he actually had no idea. "Tell Zayn I called."   
  
Before the other boys could reply, he hung up.   
  
  
When Zayn and Isabel emerged from Isabel's room, Niall and Liam ignored the awkwardness of the situation and told them what happened immediately. Isabel, though she looked completely oversexed, snapped to attention immediately as if she knew where Harry and Louis were going. She picked up her mobile phone and pressed a few buttons as the three guys watched her.   
  
"Vanessa?" she asked in her vampire ice queen voice, "Get Arielle and come to my place pronto. We need you to send us somewhere." She paused for a moment and then added a very reluctant "thanks."   
  
Liam tried not to be shocked by that.

o O o O o O o O o 

Harry looked out the window, feeling the pressure build up by the second. It was dark now and they would leave in just a few minutes. But Harry wasn't sure if he was ready. It was like Louis said when Harry had first suggested time travel - he was just a singer in a boyband. Yes, he could do spirit magic, but he barely knew what he was doing. He picked up the spell book, which sat beside him, and opened it. He'd been doing that all day, but it got to be overwhelming and tedious, reading spell after spell in the ancient magic language.   
  
There were a lot of spells he knew he would never want to do. Some of those had to do with controlling spirits, making them do whatever he wanted. They were dead, but they were still people. He had no reason to enslave them. They deserved peace in their afterlives.   
  
A lot of the spells in the book were like that, though. It was hard for Harry to figure out what he was going to do. He still hadn't decided.   
  
Then he stopped on a page and stared at the title of the spell he saw.  _The Descendants Spell_.   
  
He pursed his lips as he read the description of the spell and the instructions. This... this had to be the one. It  _had_  to be. Reading it felt right. The idea of casting the spell felt even  _more_  right. He actually became sure about it as he read what to expect from the spell. He knew exactly what would happen and who it would affect if he cast it. It  _was_  the one.   
  
.... So  _that_  was why he had to meet Charles first.   
  
"Ready to go?"   
  
Harry looked up from the book. He found his aunt, uncle, and Louis standing there looking at him expectantly. Harry shut the book carefully, as the pages were old, and stood. Louis held out a coat to Harry and Harry took it gratefully, slipping it on. Louis was wearing long sleeves, but not a coat, not that he did that too often anyway.   
  
They stepped out into the night, completely invisible. It was chilly, and Harry stepped closer to Louis out of instinct. Louis seemed to understand and put a comforting arm around Harry's shoulder. It was completely dark. They weren't using the porch light, so mostly they had to rely on their eyes adjusting to the darkness.   
  
Chris and Dee said nothing. They both took hold of Harry and Louis' sleeves and transported them. It wasn't as intense as time travel, thankfully, so when Harry got a good look at Louis, he didn't look ill or confused. When they arrived at their destination, it was still very dark, but Harry's eyes adjusted quickly. Louis' eyes wtere open with recognition and Harry turned. And he knew, just  _knew_  that they were across the street from the PAUSE building. It was one of the many PAUSE buildings, but Dee and Chris could trace the magic to there. Everyone had to be here.   
  
"The air is thick with magic." Dee murmured softly, staring up at the building. " _Everyone_  is here. The coven. The PAUSE members. Everyone."   
  
"There's a slight problem. Magic is neutralized in these buildings. Most parts anyway." Louis told everyone. "And since we escaped, it's probably neutralized everywhere. If Harry's going to do anything, it needs to be outside."   
  
Harry stared at the building hesitantly. "Great."   
  
"No," Chris told them. "The building neutralizes coven magic. Because that's all they know about. The building is not immune to spirit magic because they would need to use spirit magic to neutralize it. Harry can still cast his spell." Then he looked pointedly at Harry. "You've decided on one." It wasn't a question.   
  
Harry nodded. Was he really that easy to read? He just hoped that the Descendants Spell really was the right one. He had that feeling that it was significant, but what if his feeling was wrong? Maybe he was mistaking it as significant because he had just wanted to decide on a spell to use and get it over with.   
  
"It's them! I see them!"   
  
It was a familiar voice. Harry turned again and saw a few shadowy figures running toward them. As they came into focus, Harry recognized them and couldn't help growing excited. It was Liam, Zayn, Niall, and Isabel.   
  
The boys ran until they reached them and then threw themselves onto Louis and Harry. Harry momentarily forgot everything because  _he was reunited with his boys again_. Still clutching the spell book, he hugged Zayn back tightly, and then suddenly they were in a five way hug and Harry was trying to be manly about it so that he didn't cry. But it didn't work and his eyes watered. He was so thankful it was dark, though he wasn't sure the boys would make fun of him right now anyway, not after not seeing them for so long.   
  
"I'm sorry." Louis said when the five of them pulled apart. When they all gave him a confused look, Louis shrugged. "Well, I'm the former PAUSE member. I got Harry and the rest of you into this mess."   
  
"This is all really beautiful," Isabel interrupted, "But we have more important things to do."   
  
Everyone was silent for a moment before Louis snapped at her. "Hugging my boys  _is_  important, you bloodsucker."   
  
"Such a PAUSE term, Louis. Careful, you might relapse." she replied nastily, stepping closer to him. They were only a meter apart now and Harry grabbed Louis by the arm to keep him from lunging at her. Instead of waiting for Louis' retort, Harry spoke instead.   
  
"Guys, this is my Aunt Dee and Uncle Chris. Dee and Chris, this is Liam, Niall, Zayn, and Isabel." he said, gesturing to the older witches staring at the confrontation. Dee shook her head as if to say  _kids_.   
  
Liam and Niall ignored the confrontation and stepped forward to shake Chris and Dee's hands. The said the usual "nice to meet you." Zayn followed their lead but led Isabel by the hand to them as well. Louis glared at Isabel, who had a smile plastered on her face. Harry nudged Louis and gave him a  _be nice_  look and Louis replied with  _but she tried to kill me_  eyes. Harry responded with a  _make nice with her because she seems to be on her side even though she sold us out and tried to drink you dry_  glance. And then Louis sighed in defeat and looked away.   
  
"How do we get in?" Harry asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the awkwardness. They could deal with the Isabel situation later.   
  
"We could just give ourselves up to them." Louis said, purposefully avoiding looking at Isabel. "They're looking for us anyway. We can act like we're submitting to them. There's nothing PAUSE likes more."   
  
"The human is right." Isabel said reluctantly, as much as she obviously hated agreeing with Louis. "Adrian would probably just let us walk right in there if it's going to benefit him. But what are we going to do exactly? I hope you witches have a plan."   
  
"Harry here is going to cast a spell to save everyone, apparently." Zayn put a hand on Harry's shoulder, as if that was going to make Harry feel more confident about it.   
  
"Let's go then." Isabel replied, not wanting to waste any more time.   
  
They all became visible and walked up to the front door of the PAUSE building. Harry tried not to shake, but he did feel slightly better walking with his boys. They were all holding on to each other by the arm or shoulder, offering support. Harry clutched the book tightly as well. He knew the spell he was going to use and he had read the instructions, but it still felt right to hold it. It calmed him a bit more.   
  
The PAUSE building, designed as if it were some upscale company building, didn't let just anybody in. There was a buzzer, which Louis pressed. When someone asked who it was on the intercom, Louis listed all of their names confidently. As soon as he spoke, the doors opened. The bright hallways were empty, but they all walked in anyway.   
  
Louis and Isabel seemed to know where they were going, so they led the way, avoiding each other.   
  
"I smell him," Isabel said. She sounded disgusted and Harry didn't blame her. "He's right down there." She pointed down the hallway, gesturing around the corner.   
  
Harry was afraid of having a panic attack now. He felt the anxiety build up as they continued their walk. It felt like slow motion. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They were almost there. He felt ill, and willed himself not to get sick. He couldn't do this. He couldn't do this. He  _had_  to do this.   
  
They rounded the corner and standing there in front of the door of his office was Adrian, surrounded by about twenty other PAUSE members. Even though Harry wasn't initiated, he could even sense the amount of magic held in the room. He quickly tried a charm to warm up his hand and it didn't work. They had probably worked it so that only magic would work if it was used by Adrian and PAUSE members. Coven magic, at least.   
  
"I really did not expect you all to deliver yourselves to me." Adrian said lightly. "But it did save me a lot of trouble."   
  
"Where is the coven? Where are all your captives?" Chris demanded.  
  
Adrian waved his hand to show it was no big deal. "Patience, you'll join them soon enough. Even the humans."   
  
"Why are you taking magic?" Louis stepped forward. "Doesn't it go against everything you're supposed to stand for, Adrian? PAUSE doesn't like power. They think it's dangerous, and that's why tagging even exists."   
  
That only got a chuckle out of Adrian and the PAUSE members. "Tagging  _exists_  so that we know who is dangerous, that is correct. But witches are... special. You must know that, Louis. All that power Harry has. Isn't it amazing? Witches don't put their power to good use, if you ask me. They could do  _so much more_. It's only right that we become the most powerful supernatural group. We'd do it right." Adrian said loudly. He held up his hand and a bit of sparkling light started to come out of it slowly. Harry recognized it; it wasn't harmful. It was just energy. But it  _could_ be dangerous if used the wrong way.   
  
"There are plenty of amazing things about Harry," Louis said. Harry was standing toward the back of the group, but he imagined Louis was shooting daggers out of his eyes at his former boss. "And not all of them have to do with his magic. You need to stop this, Adrian. You're the only one who can.  _Please_."   
  
"Hmm," Adrian pretended to muse it for a moment. "Let me think about that.  _No_."   
  
Chris turned around quickly to give Harry a  _look_. He was telling Harry to do his spell now, and Harry felt frozen. How could two older, more experienced witches have so much faith in him? He'd had a hard time hanging on to his humanity before. How could he do it now when Louis was at the front of the group. Liam and Niall stood on either side of him. He glanced at his friends who had no idea what they were in for. They would have to do.   
  
Harry knew the spell by heart already. It didn't take much memorization. Which was good because he didn't want to open the book in front of these bastards.   
  
As their group and Adrian had their back and forth spat, Harry closed his eyes, letting his power build up and his emotions drain from him. He made sure he connected to spirit rather than any other element, because it was the only one he could really use, even if he didn't necessarily need it. Everything else was up for grabs by any of the PAUSE members. He felt the magic flow to his hands and he wordlessly handed the spell book to Liam. He didn't see Liam's expression because his eyes were closed, but his friend took the book obediently.   
  
He let the magic flow throughout his body. He let it build up. He felt a little worried about it, that he would be caught, but he realized Adrian couldn't stop it. He could show power out of his hand at Harry and Harry would just keep going.   
  
Harry threw his hands up in the air, ignoring how silly he felt. This was more important. He needed to begin the Descendants Spell.   
  
It started off as a whisper. He didn't want Adrian to hear and  _try_  to stop him. "Ancestors of PAUSE, I call you," he said quietly in Astairnian. "You are needed. You offer peace and are offered peace. I call you, ancestors." He opened his eyes to find the whole room staring at him, including Adrian, who was walking toward him. Harry didn't care. He continued chanting, this time louder. By his third time saying the chant, he was practically yelling.   
  
And then the hallway went pitch black. There were screams from humans, supernaturals, and PAUSE members alike. It was only dark for a moment. Then lights appeared in the corner of the room. Orbs. They were orbs. Harry stared as dozens of them appeared on the wall, dancing about. They lit up the room enough, and Harry found himself wanting to push forward through both rows to try and reach them.   
  
But... no.  _No_. He couldn't. He grabbed Niall's hand and then Liam's, holding them tightly. As if they knew he needed them, they held his arms back so that Harry couldn't step forward. As much as Harry wanted to, he wanted to be in control of himself even more. He knew he couldn't join the orbs, no matter how brilliant they were.   
  
And then the orbs disappeared and the room went black again. Again, it was only for a moment. Because the lights came on again one moment later.   
  
But something was wrong. Something was different.   
  
The PAUSE members were all hunched over, their eyes closed, their arms hanging in front of their bodies. Harry's eyes went to the front of his own group. Louis was doing the same thing as the PAUSE members. He gasped in horror and turned to Liam and Niall. "Let me go."   
  
"Harry-"   
  
"Let him go." Zayn said, turning around. "Harry needs to go to Louis. Look at him, boys." He gestured to Louis, who could practically touch his toes. Liam and Niall must have understood because they released Harry and he ran to Louis immediately. Just in time to catch Louis from falling to the ground.   
  
He held on to Louis tightly, hugging him close. "Louis, are you conscious?"   
  
"I think so." Louis groaned. He sounded sleepy.   
  
Harry looked up toward Adrian and the PAUSE members. They were standing up again. But there was something about the way they were looking at Harry now. They didn't look as menacing anymore. Still a little intimidating, but not in a terrifying way. There was something about the eyes. He looked toward Adrian. And then he grinned.   
  
The spell had worked.   
  
"Hello, Harry."   
  
"Charles." Harry said, still grinning.   
  
" _Charles_?" Louis said, looking up at Adrian's face. "You're Charles now?"   
  
"Indeed, Louis." Charles said in Adrian's voice. "My spirit is inside Adrian's body. When I leave, he will be perfectly fine. Unfortunately for him, however, he will soon be imprisoned. As will the other members of PAUSE that have wronged any supernatural in a way that wasn't self-defense."   
  
"Harry, what spell did you do?" Aunt Dee asked. She sounded amazed. Harry supposed he couldn't blame her. She wondered how much spirit magic she'd actually seen.   
  
"The Descendants Spell." Harry told her. "People's ancestors can inhabit the bodies of their descendants for an extended period of time. The PAUSE ancestors were against what the organization is doing now, so I called them. The book told me to when we were in 1900. It told me to call the spirits and they would come. When I read the spell, I knew which ones the book meant."   
  
"So that's what happened to me." Louis said, scratching his head.   
  
"Yes, Louis, but you were released, as you have harmed no one. We can look into our descendants' minds and know who has harmed, why, and where remains of those killed might be." Charles explained. "As we speak, the ancestors of current PAUSE members are looking through their descendants' minds for anything malicious. Those who have killed will 'turn themselves in to the authorities.'" Charles took a step forward. "Like I said in 1900, I do not believe in altering what has already happened. It is dangerous to alter time to bend to our needs. But that did not mean I could not help."   
  
"Did you know?" Harry asked him. "That all of this would happen, I mean."   
  
"Of course not." he replied, "But your aunt and uncle had faith in your ability. I knew you would think of something. I have to say, though, I did spend my whole life wondering what would happen and how. I tried to enforce PAUSE's original policies as much as possible, but clearly Adrian did not agree."   
  
"And you'll leave their bodies after they're imprisoned?" Harry inquired.   
  
"Yes." Another PAUSE member said. "We will confess to all of their wrongdoings and then leave when they are safely locked away. We have no reason to stay. We will be happy to get back to our world."   
  
Charles turned to a few of the PAUSE members beside him. "Release all of the innocents. It's time everyone was reunited and safe."   
  
Harry grinned at Louis and they turned back to smile at Liam, Niall, and Zayn.   
  
He really couldn't agree more.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. Though all five boys could agree that they could use a few days at home with their families and just some peace and quiet, they didn't want to separate. Now more than ever, they wanted to stay together. When they emerged from the PAUSE building, they all went back to the coven house. The five boys all slept in the same room, practically piled on top of each other, actually hardly sleeping at all.   
  
In the morning, the coven witches brought Liam, Niall, and Zayn's parents to the coven house. Harry's and Louis' parents were already there, and together, they told the other parents the truth. They seemed to take it well, just thankful that the whole PAUSE disaster was over. Harry was the most relieved. Louis didn't have much of a secret anymore; he was no longer in PAUSE. But Harry would always have magic. And not only that, he would always have spirit magic as well. Harry had been nervous; this had put Liam, Niall, and Zayn in danger. But their parents saw that the boys' friendship was more powerful than that danger. The boys had actually been working to save him. And separating them wouldn't prevent that. Not when transportation magic existed.   
  
After it was settled with their families, they had a lot of work to do.   
  
They went to Syco. Needless to say, the reaction to their reappearance was mixed. Luckily they had a story, and it wasn't exactly false. Charles, using Adrian's body, had gone forward and confessed to the authorities the previous night. All over the country, PAUSE members had been turning themselves in and confessing to their murderous crimes. The story had hit the papers early that morning, and luckily, "Adrian" had admitted to kidnapping Harry and Louis.   
  
That didn't mean it was easy, however. There were a lot of questions from business types. What had they been doing to get themselves kidnapped in the first place? Where had they been? Why had they run off right after their gig, which resulted in their kidnapping? What had it been like when they had been kidnapped? That, at least, was easy to answer. Harry and Louis told them all honestly that they were kept in a room with food and a bathroom. Still, they had been locked in with no means of escape. They conveniently left out the part about getting out a few days earlier than everyone at Syco thought. Liam, Zayn, and Niall told everyone that they had just gone looking for the other guys, that they couldn't take it anymore.   
  
It was enough for Syco. It probably wouldn't have been if One Direction weren't so successful, but it was. They even got Simon on the phone, and he was unusually cheerful and sympathetic. They expected him to tell them to get back on track right that moment, but he and their management granted them one more day.   
  
The next morning, they were to do a video cast over the internet for all the fans. That was how they would officially announce they were back, even though the papers had already reported it since "Adrian" had made his confession. The boys checked the news sites all day, reading story after story. Luckily none of them were too ridiculous, and all of them referred to the kidnapping. The papers questioned Adrian's motives, however. Charles had said that Adrian just liked to take people, that they were his playthings. And that was all he could really say. Because he sure couldn't tell the truth - that Adrian had been hellbent on taking witches' magic powers. That would not go over well.  
  
  
The boys all gathered in a hotel suite they shared that evening. Usuaully they would get their own rooms, or they would share, two to a room. Not tonight. Tonight the five of them had to talk.   
  
Part of the conversation was really simple. Liam stared at Harry and Louis and asked, "You guys are officially together now?"   
  
Harry nodded, his face much more serious than Louis' right now. Louis was blushing a bit so he tried to hide it behind a joking smile. So Harry spoke. "Yeah. But of course, we're not going to say anything yet. You know how it is."   
  
Because Liam and Niall  _did_  know how it was. The moment Harry spoke, Niall nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Me and Liam are going to do that, too." He put an arm around Liam and pulled him into a hug, and now Liam was the one blushing.  
  
" _God_ ," Zayn said, laying back on one of the beds. "You're all  _so gay_."   
  
"And you're sleeping with a vampire who almost killed me." Louis reminded him with a little glare. "Not much better, mate."   
  
In response, Zayn just smiled, pleased with himself. "She's really not that bad, you know."   
  
Louis did not look convinced. "I don't like her, okay? I'm not  _going_  to like her. And she's not going to like me. You're going to have to deal with that."   
  
Zayn's eyes widened. "You're not going to make me, like, choose between you?"   
  
Louis rolled his eyes. "If she hasn't killed you by now, she's not going to. I'm not your keeper and I can't stop you. Just be smart about it. And once Harry joins that coven, if Isabel starts being bitchier or more bloodthirsty than normal, he can-"   
  
" _Louis_ ," Harry interrupted, placing his hand on Louis' knee. He  _really_  didn't want Louis to say something he shouldn't to someone he shouldn't. Not after all they had just been through.   
  
"Which reminds me, and probably all of us," Niall said, gesturing to Liam and Zayn. He looked Harry square in the eye. "You're a  _witch_?" And then his gaze shifted to Louis, "And you were in a group that tracked down and hunted supernatural people?" He threw his arms out to show just how weird it was, and Harry bit down on his lower lip, trying not to laugh. "I mean, what the _fuck_ , guys?"   
  
But he wasn't angry. Neither were Liam or Zayn. They all just laughed, and then suddenly they were all tackling each other. It really was what they did best.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
The next morning, they announced their video cast on Twitter just an hour before they actually appeared on camera. Despite the short time they allowed themselves, they had more viewers than they'd ever had on one of these types of videos before they even began.   
  
When the camera started rolling, they all waved and said hello, as if everything was normal and fine. After that, they told the viewers that their gigs were all being rescheduled and they hoped that everyone would still be able to attend. They were sorry for any disruptions in schedules that they had caused.   
  
Then Liam explained that Harry and Louis wanted to talk about what had happened to them, and why they had disappeared when they had.   
  
"Contrary to popular belief," Louis began, "We did not run off to get married." He gave the interviewer a signature smirk. "However, we  _are_  engaged. Like, very, very engaged." He nudged Harry, still smirking. "How engaged are we, Harry?"   
  
"Extremely." Harry said. He felt the urge to roll his eyes, but instead he smiled brightly at the camera. They weren't  _really_  engaged, obviously, but pretending stuff like this took on a different meaning now. Because, well... what if that happened someday? Harry's stomach began to hurt in a good way as he realized that maybe he  _wanted_  it to happen.   
  
"And my heart is broken." Zayn added sarcastically. To show he was sorry, Louis turned to Zayn and threw his arms around the younger boy, acting so bromancey that their fans would have no choice but to pit Larry Stylinson against Zouis. Harry watched them, pretending to be jealous. And maybe he would have been a little jealous if he had been harboring secret feelings for Louis. But now everything was out in the open between the five of them, and all he could feel was amusement.   
  
"Harry and Louis were kidnapped." Liam said at the camera in his serious voice. "It was quite terrifying. But they're back now, and so are we."  
  
"We're baaaaaaaaaaaack!" Louis exclaimed. His smirk had turned to a goofy smile as he put his arms around both Zayn and Niall's shoulders. "But a word of advice to the fans out there. Don't ever get kidnapped."   
  
"Don't talk to strangers." Niall contributed, obviously referencing Xavier. Harry knew that Xavier was on his way to prison along with several of the other PAUSE members.   
  
"Stay in school." Liam advised, though none of them could really talk. They hadn't continued with school after they had gone on the X Factor. Louis and Liam in particularly had been thrilled to get out of there. And Harry... well, Harry was happy about the way things had worked out. He could say that much. Harry didn't even know why Liam had picked that statement in particular, but they were on a roll.   
  
"If something looks green and it isn't supposed to, don't eat it." Zayn added. Harry tried not to laugh. This was becoming ridiculous. But he wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
The boys looked at Harry expectantly, but Harry didn't really have any ridiculous advice to give. Luckily, that didn't matter. Instead he gave the camera his best smile.   
  
"And we love you all."


	19. Epilogue

_February 1, 2012_    
  
  
"Harry, please step forward."   
  
Harry blinked as he looked ahead at the coven members in the semi-circle in front of him. Five years. He had been working toward this moment for five years. After five years of wondering what it was like to be in a powerful coven, what they actually  _did_ , he was going to find out.   
  
He had gotten a taste of it a few months ago, sure. But he knew there had to be so much more than what he had learned by accident. Not only that, several of the charms that he'd seen his family perform, such as time travel magic, would be part of his ability now. He would be able to seal his spells, cast weather magic, and do all sorts of things he had yet to imagine.   
  
One would think that after everything, this would be nothing. He was in one of the most successful boybands of the twenty-first century, the only witch in the world who could use spirit magic, _and_  he got to sleep with the hottest guy in the world on a regular basis. After all that, getting initiated into the coven should have seemed like a piece of cake.   
  
It wasn't. It was still overwhelming to see all of these coven members of all ages in front of him, maybe  _judging_  his ability and his future as a witch. As he'd learned, coven magic was shared. Everyone could use it, but it was so general amongst coven members that it had been easily taken by PAUSE. He had to swear to try his hardest to uphold the coven's secrets and keep the magic safe to the best of his ability.   
  
"Harry, you have a gift." said Anne. She was trying her best to keep a straight face, but Harry could tell she was trying not to smile. She had talked the coven into letting her lead Harry's initiation. She had done the same with Gemma, who stood right next to her. "A special gift that only one person can experience in a lifetime. Not only are you the greatest son anybody could ask for-"   
  
"And brother." Gemma interrupted. Anne shot her a look, though it was barely even a chastisement.   
  
"And  _brother_ ," Anne continued. She looked back into Harry's eyes. "You have loyal best friends and talent. And now you can connect to the spirit world. I hope you use that wisely. We will always be here if you need us. We will do our best to guide you. And when the time comes, you will guide someone."   
  
Harry nodded. His mum meant that someday Harry would have children. Harry didn't actually know what would happen. There were a lot of things to consider. Whether he would still be with Louis (he hoped so), and whether they would have kids. He had no way of knowing what was going to happen. He was only eighteen. Still, he smiled at his mum. "Of course."   
  
Anne nodded back, and then held up the coven's athame. "Place your hand on the blade."   
  
Harry did. He put his palm right on the tip of the knife. But it only stung a little. They were in a circle with all five elements protecting them. His blood dripped on the floor, but he didn't look down. He knew he wasn't allowed.   
  
"Harry Edward Styles, you will possess our magic." His mum spoke in Astairnian now, which mean she was casting. "What is ours is yours, from now until your last day. Do you agree?"   
  
"Yes." Harry said. He didn't even blink.   
  
"Coven members. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit. You have heard him promise and you have heard him agree. Do you accept Harry into our circle?"   
  
There was a chorus of yeses around him. The elements all made themselves known to him to show their approval. He could smell dirt, feel the fire's heat, sense a breeze, and feel light rain drops as if they were really there. Harry grinned as he looked around at his coven.   
  
And then he felt it. He felt the power rushing into him so fast it almost knocked him over. He kept his feet firmly planted on the ground to the best of his ability and closed his eyes, just letting himself feel. He felt full of magic and the elements. Like if he made the slightest movement, he would accidentally cause a magic explosion.   
  
But soon it was over. Soon he heard the coven elders opening up the circle, thanking, and releasing the elements. As soon as they did, Harry felt better and not as overwhelmed by the rush of power. He blinked, staring back at his coven. There were several cheers and congratulations and then a bunch of people hugged him, including his own mother and sister.   
  
And that was it. He was one of them.   
  
  
  
"Are you sure you can't stay?" Anne asked Harry a few minutes after the ceremony ended. He had taken her aside and reminded her that he needed to leave.   
  
Harry shook his head. "I have a gig with the guys. But I'll meet you at home later and we can celebrate there. Can I bring them?"   
  
"Sure. We'll have a little party." she said, and then hugged him. "You better come over later, or I will find you. You might be all grown up now, but I'm holding you to this!"   
  
Harry smiled, not mentioning that after they hung out at his house, they would probably all go out. Harry and Louis would probably stumble into their flat, drunk, and they would have some sort of celebration of their own. But right now he had to have his priorities in order. Initiation, gig, time with family, and then,  _finally_ , legal drinking.   
  
  
  
When he arrived at the venue, the other boys were already there. He transported himself into the toilets, mostly because there was less of a chance of anybody seeing him appear. He stumbled out of the bathroom, still not used to transporting himself. It was a coven power, and his mum had insisted that he try it. No time like the present, after all, she'd said. Not to mention he could just call for help if he ended up somewhere weird. But luckily he did it, even if it was a little shaky.   
  
He checked himself out in the mirror before exiting, just to make sure he looked normal enough. To save time, he had changed his clothes at the coven house.   
  
He found the other boys backstage, waiting for him. Zayn was the first to see him from far away. Then he said something to the others and they all turned to him. Louis was the one to run toward him, taking Harry by the sleeve and pulling him back toward the dressing rooms. "Come on!"   
  
"Oh no, no you don't!" Liam said. The look in his eyes said  _no way are you going to go have a snog in the dressing room right now_.   
  
But Louis waved him off. "We'll be  _right back_. It's a big day for our Haz."   
  
So Harry was tugged toward the dressing room. When they found it was empty, Louis closed the door behind them and faced him.   
  
"So how do you feel? Is everything alright with the whole... you know, magic thing?"   
  
Harry grinned. Louis had gotten so much better with this in the past few months. Now that PAUSE was no more, Louis had flipped sides. Now he mostly wanted to be included, or at least learn about magic and other supernatural things, in a way that didn't force him to judge them. He still had his opinions, of course, but he and Harry hadn't really had any problems about it since the whole PAUSE ordeal. Harry was just thankful that Louis was giving it all a chance. Because magic  _was_  a part of Harry's life and it always would be. And he wanted Louis to be there as well. "I feel fine. Tired but powerful, you know? It was a good ceremony."   
  
"Good." Louis said, stepping forward. He planted a lingering kiss on Harry's lips, and when he pulled back, he was smiling, too. "Come on, let's go sing about overwhelming hair flips."   
  
Harry snickered as they left the dressing room, heading back toward the other lads.   
  
"That  _was_  fast." Zayn commented, smirking.   
  
"Zayn, don't be jealous." Louis said in his warning voice. "There's plenty of me to go around."   
  
Zayn rolled his eyes before they were given a five minute warning for them to take their positions. So they did, all smirking and nudging each other like they always did.   
  
Harry grinned at them. He couldn't help it.   
  
He felt like the luckiest guy in the world.


End file.
